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Big jump in dengue cases in Woodlands
Mon, Apr 19, 2010
my paper
BY ANNABELLE LIANG
OVERTURNING pails to prevent mosquito breeding is no longer enough.
National Environment Agency (NEA) officers and volunteers from the Woodlands Community Club's environment committee want Woodlands residents to wipe pails dry too.
They will drill six to eight holes in the rims of all pails in 13,000 homes in Woodlands in the next three months.
They are targeting pail rims because the number of mosquito-breeding sites found in pail rims has grown from four in 2007 to 47 last year in the North West District.
Other unusual breeding places include the base of pails, the rim of dish trays and even the hollow of frying pans.
Woodlands has already seen 42 cases of dengue fever in the first three months of the year, exceeding its 40 cases for the whole of last year.
In contrast, the number of cases in the North West District fell from 957 in 2008 to 639 last year.
Although the initiative is not a compulsory one, residents are strongly encouraged to participate as it gives other residents peace of mind, said Ms Ellen Lee, Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC, at the launch of the programme yesterday.
The Woodlands Environment Committee hopes to inspire other constituencies in the North West District to follow suit, said committee chairman Adeline Loh.
A Woodlands resident and nurse, Madam Chang Ying Theng, 44, told her maid to wipe water from flowerpots, pail rims and pail bases daily, after seeing NEA banners about the increase in dengue cases in Woodlands in November last year.
Madam Chang said she is confident of her current preventive measures, but is willing to participate in the programme.
This is because she lives by the motto of "better safe than sorry", as she has nursed dengue patients and is fully aware of the dangers of dengue fever, she said.
Mon, Apr 19, 2010
my paper
BY ANNABELLE LIANG
OVERTURNING pails to prevent mosquito breeding is no longer enough.
National Environment Agency (NEA) officers and volunteers from the Woodlands Community Club's environment committee want Woodlands residents to wipe pails dry too.
They will drill six to eight holes in the rims of all pails in 13,000 homes in Woodlands in the next three months.
They are targeting pail rims because the number of mosquito-breeding sites found in pail rims has grown from four in 2007 to 47 last year in the North West District.
Other unusual breeding places include the base of pails, the rim of dish trays and even the hollow of frying pans.
Woodlands has already seen 42 cases of dengue fever in the first three months of the year, exceeding its 40 cases for the whole of last year.
In contrast, the number of cases in the North West District fell from 957 in 2008 to 639 last year.
Although the initiative is not a compulsory one, residents are strongly encouraged to participate as it gives other residents peace of mind, said Ms Ellen Lee, Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC, at the launch of the programme yesterday.
The Woodlands Environment Committee hopes to inspire other constituencies in the North West District to follow suit, said committee chairman Adeline Loh.
A Woodlands resident and nurse, Madam Chang Ying Theng, 44, told her maid to wipe water from flowerpots, pail rims and pail bases daily, after seeing NEA banners about the increase in dengue cases in Woodlands in November last year.
Madam Chang said she is confident of her current preventive measures, but is willing to participate in the programme.
This is because she lives by the motto of "better safe than sorry", as she has nursed dengue patients and is fully aware of the dangers of dengue fever, she said.
