Another case of vivax malaria in Sungei Kadut area

Channel NewsAsia 23 Jun 09;

SINGAPORE: There is now another case of vivax malaria in Sungei Kadut/Mandai Estate area. This brings the total number of cases in the cluster to 14.

A joint release by the Health Ministry and National Environment Agency (NEA) on Tuesday said a 24-year-old foreign construction worker, who is staying at Sungei Kadut Street 2, has the disease.

He has no fixed worksite and no recent travel history outside of Singapore. His illness onset date was on June 11.

In the cluster, 12 of the cases are foreigners while two are Singaporeans, comprising one full-time national serviceman and one general worker.

The statement added that there are no new cases at Jurong Island and the total number of cases in this cluster remains at seven.

The NEA is continuing with intensive vector control operations in the vicinity of Sungei Kadut/Mandai Estate, while the Health Ministry is monitoring the situation closely and will update the public on any new developments.

- CNA/yb

Another worker down with malaria in Singapore
Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times 24 Jun 09;

YET another person has come down with malaria, bringing the number of locally transmitted cases in the current outbreak to 21.

The latest victim is a 24-year-old foreign construction worker whose symptoms first surfaced on June 11.

He lives in Sungei Kadut Street 2 and has no fixed work site. He had also not travelled out of Singapore recently, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement yesterday.

This brings the number of cases in the Mandai/Sungei Kadut cluster to 14, comprising 12 foreigners and two Singaporeans.

There have been no new cases found in the country's other malaria cluster in Jurong Island.

To date, seven cases have been found in that sector. All are male foreigners aged between 25 and 46.

The malaria parasite identified in the latest victim is once again the vivax, the most common in this region of the five types of malaria parasites.

Although the number of malaria cases is small compared with the number of dengue cases each month, it is taken very seriously as Singapore was declared malaria-free in 1982, when it eradicated sustained local transmissions of the disease.

This recent outbreak is the worst since 2006, when 13 people came down with it.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) was informed of the transmission on May 25 for Jurong Island and on May29 for the Mandai/Sungei Kadut area.

The NEA is still pressing on with intensive search-and-destroy operations on the ground in the Mandai/Sungei Kadut area. It is also continuing to trap adult Anopheles mosquitoes to monitor the population.

Some 137 mosquitoes were caught within the first week of operations, compared with 18 recently, indicating ground vector controls were taking effect, said NEA.

Dormitory operators in the cluster continue to fog and check for mosquito breeding. Workers housed in the dormitories have been provided with mosquito netting and repellent.

MOH reminds the public that malaria, like dengue fever, is a disease borne by mosquitoes.

The symptoms of malaria are fever, headache, chills and vomiting. If left untreated, malaria could lead to seizures and death.

Another confirmed malaria case in Sungei Kadut/Mandai cluster
Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia 16 Jul 09;

SINGAPORE: There is another confirmed case of malaria in the Sungei Kadut/ Mandai cluster.

The patient is a 55-year-old foreign construction worker who stays at Jalan Gali Batu in Mandai and works at the Seletar Camp. He travelled to Johor Bahru from June 13 to 15, and his symptoms started on July 1.

As the usual incubation period for the vivax parasite is 12 to 18 days or longer, it is possible that he could have been infected overseas. However, it is also possible that he was part of the original transmission at the Sungei Kadut/Mandai cluster.

As such, Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) - together with other stakeholders - said it will continue with intensive vector control operations in the implicated areas.

This includes oiling and Bti misting to destroy mosquito breeding, with chemical fogging and residual spraying to kill adult mosquitoes.

There are no new cases at Jurong Island and the total number of cases in this cluster remains at eight.

To date, the total number of locally transmitted cases of malaria stands at 23.

The construction site and dormitory operators have also equipped their workers with mosquito repellent as a precautionary measure.

No new breeding sites have been found since June 20.

- CNA/yb