Channel NewsAsia 11 Jul 14;
SINGAPORE: The number of dengue cases in Singapore has crossed the five-figure mark, with 10,112 cases as of 3.30pm on Thursday (July 10).
In a statement issued earlier this week, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said there was a “sharp rise” in the number of reported cases of dengue, and warned that it expects the number of cases to rise further during the ongoing peak dengue season.
For the week ending July 5, a total of 891 dengue cases were reported, up from the previous week of 674 cases. DENV-1, the strain of virus that caused the 2013 epidemic, remains dominant, accounting for almost 90 per cent of infections, the NEA said.
Another 556 cases were reported between July 6 and 10, according to the NEA website.
As of Thursday, there have been 28 clusters identified as high-risk areas. A total of 192 cases of dengue have been reported at Chua Chu Kang Avenue 2, 3 and 5 – making it the largest dengue cluster in Singapore currently.
One work site there was slapped with a stop-work order after authorities found four mosquito breeding sites there. More than 30 workers fell ill from dengue fever, while 60 residents one street away also caught the disease.
"The drains near the playground are clogged and collecting water," one resident at Chua Chu Kang Ave 2 told us. "Most of my neighbours have already been diagnosed with dengue, and some of them are in hospital."
MP Zaqy Mohamad said the National Environment Agency found more than 70 mosquito breeding sites across Chua Chu Kang in total - 12 in public areas, and eight in construction sites.
"What was interesting was we found 50 breeding sites in homes. In the residential areas that they visited, not every house opened their doors. So it is something that we need to continue educating residents. While there is risk coming from the environment, the majority of breeding sites that were found were in the residential areas," he said.
Work is underway to replace the constituency's concrete drain covers with metal grating, to minimise the incidence of choked drains that can breed mosquitoes literally under cover. Authorities have also stepped up mosquito control work and inspections in the hotspot.
