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Fewer cleaning services, overgrown grass may have pushed up dengue cases: Grace Fu

SINGAPORE — The scaling back of cleaning services and facilities maintenance during the circuit breaker period from April to June, as well as the presence of inactive construction sites could have contributed to the recent spike in dengue cases, Ms Grace Fu said.

Officers from the National Environment Agency applying larvicide to kill mosquito larvae in a drain. The agency carried out 107,000 inspections of homes and detected and destroyed 2,600 mosquito breeding sites in May and June 2020.

Officers from the National Environment Agency applying larvicide to kill mosquito larvae in a drain. The agency carried out 107,000 inspections of homes and detected and destroyed 2,600 mosquito breeding sites in May and June 2020.

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  • As of Aug 29, there were 27,281 dengue cases reported this year, with 24,000 of reported from March to August
  • Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, said reduced cleaning services and inactive construction sites from April to June may have added to the spike
  • The National Environment Agency intensified checks and enforcement after June
  • Its anti-dengue efforts have resulted in a 20 per cent drop in cases recently

 

SINGAPORE — The scaling back of cleaning services and facilities maintenance during the circuit breaker period from April to June, as well as the presence of inactive construction sites could have contributed to the recent spike in dengue cases, Ms Grace Fu said.

The Minister for Sustainability and the Environment told Parliament on Friday (Sept 4): “In some cases, overgrown grass may have concealed discarded receptacles that (became) potential breeding sites,” she added. 

“However, this issue is being addressed as cleaning and associated services have resumed.”

Ms Fu gave this written answer to parliamentary questions filed by Mr Liang Eng Hwa, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bukit Panjang, on why there was a surge in dengue cases this year.

Mr Yip Hon Weng, MP for Yio Chu Kang, also wanted to know if the reduction in grass-cutting work had led to a rise in dengue cases while Mr Leon Perera of Aljunied Group Representation Constituency (GRC) had asked about the progress of anti-dengue efforts.

Singapore is having the largest dengue outbreak in a single year yet since 2013.

Ms Fu said that as of Aug 29, there were 27,281 dengue cases reported this year, with 24,000 of these reported from March to August. This is more than the previous high of 22,170 cases in the whole of 2013.

She attributed the jump in cases to a “confluence of factors”, including the dominance of the less common DenV-3 strain of dengue and a 30 per cent increase in the Aedes aegypti mosquito population from May to June this year, compared to the period from February to March.

“Coupled with the warmer and wetter weather as we entered the traditional peak dengue season from May onwards, the momentum of the high dengue case load sustained the high number of cases seen in June and till today,” Ms Fu said. 

MORE 'HUMAN TARGETS'

The increase in dengue cases also coincided with the April to June circuit breaker period that restricted activities and movement to contain Covid-19. With more people staying home, there were more “human targets” for the mosquitoes, she added.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has “scaled up efforts on all fronts” since the end of the circuit breaker, Ms Fu said.

The agency has conducted intensive checks, carrying out 107,000 inspections of homes, and detecting and destroying 2,600 mosquito breeding sites in May and June. It also destroyed 2,700 breeding sites during inspections of condominiums, construction sites and other premises during this period.

NEA has also tightened enforcement of areas managed by town councils, construction sites and residential premises since July 15, by increasing the fines for repeat breeding offences, for example. 

Previously, households were issued a composition fine of S$200 for breeding sites detected at their homes, regardless of the number of sites. Since July 15, first-time offenders will be fined S$200 if a single mosquito breeding habitat is detected. A second offence incurs a S$300 fine and subsequent offences will be dealt with in court.  

NEA has also called on town councils, which manage the common property of public housing and commercial units, to step up housekeeping efforts to remove stagnant water and maintain drains, among other things.

Ms Fu said that these efforts have resulted in a 20 per cent decline in dengue cases in recent weeks.

About 84 per cent of the 2,253 clusters reported this year have closed as of end-August, including large dengue clusters along Bartley Road near Serangoon Central and Dakota Crescent near Mountbatten.

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dengue circuit breaker Grace Fu MSE

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