Hougang, Serangoon get more resources to fight dengue

SINGAPORE — With the Hougang and Serangoon area continuing to be a hot spot for dengue — more than 600 dengue cases have been reported in 17 clusters — more resources will have to be allocated to this area to get the situation under control, said Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu yesterday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of her visit to homes along Da Silva Lane — which is among the 17 clusters — Ms Fu said it is important to focus resources here, given the area’s size and number of dengue cases.

“We need to get a handle on the situation quickly and with the right level of resources,” she added.

Inspections have been stepped up, with the National Environment Agency (NEA) deploying about 200 officers to the area daily to inspect premises and spray insecticide.

In comparison, about 1,000 officers do the same islandwide each day. To date, about 11,000 homes of around 21,000 premises — which include schools, shopping malls and bus interchanges — in the area have been inspected.

The area, Ms Fu noted, presents a more complex situation, as it comprises mainly landed property, interspersed with condominiums, shophouses and transport nodes, which makes inspections more resource intensive.

For instance, landed properties sometimes have gardens and water features, and dengue inspections along landed estates can involve up to five or six officers, compared with one to two officers needed to inspect a block of flats.

As of June 18, among the 17 clusters, 12 are “red” with more than 10 dengue cases — the highest alert level under the NEA’s colour-coded alert system. The cluster, which includes Da Silva Lane, Florence Road and Kovan Road, has seen the fastest-growing number of dengue cases, with 44 reported cases over the past two weeks.

The NEA said 97 per cent of reported cases in the area were residents. Inspections also uncovered about 280 breeding sites, of which 65 per cent were found in homes. The others were areas maintained by town councils, public areas and construction sites.

More than 7,800 people have been infected with dengue this year, as Singapore enters the traditional peak season of infections from June to October.

When asked about the possibility of Singapore receiving the first dengue vaccine by drug giant Sanofi Pasteur, Ms Fu said the firm had not given direct input to the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources.

The ministry would work with the Health Ministry to decide what is appropriate for introduction to Singapore, she added.