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Infections – at 4,651 so far – likely to taper off with end of peak transmission period
 The mosquitoes seemed to be winning the skirmishes, claiming three lives, but Singapore’s anti-dengue fight this year is headed towards a better-than-expected close. The upbeat “general” – Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan – gave this field report yesterday.
He said that while the disease had hit record epidemic levels this year, as of last week, the total number of dengue infections was 4,651. The final tally last year was 5,363. The peak transmission period for dengue in Singapore is between July and October.
As such, the minister said he expected the number of new infections for the rest of the year to taper off. He credited the likely year-end outcome to enforcement efforts and community groups during the height of the epidemic earlier this year, adding: “In fact, to be honest, we’ve done better than I dared to hope for, say, just six months ago.” In July, new cases hit epidemic levels not seen since 2007. More than 191 new infections, the point where spread becomes epidemic, were reported weekly – for five weeks running.
More than 1,000 people had to be hospitalised and three people died. With the peak transmission ending, Dr Balakrishnan said there would be a tactical switch from enforcement to education in dengue prevention for the rest of the year. He added that Singaporeans must stay vigilant, as an epidemic could still break out – so long as a dengue vaccine remained out of reach.
Over the next few months, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will be launching an initiative to encourage residents to contact the agency to do supervised home checks. Such visits by NEA officers are “educational inspections” and any larvae found would not lead to a fine, the minister emphasised. He added, however, that this would apply only to residents in non-hot spot areas. “In areas which are hot spots, we have to take a firm hand, an aggressive line to ensure that we put an end to dengue outbreaks.”
Meanwhile, with the year-end monsoon season fast approaching, Dr Balakrishnan said he had alerted the PUB, the national water agency, to watch for rising water levels, and to post relevant data on its website to keep the public informed of the latest news. But even as he pledged to spare no effort to ward off potential flooding, the minister said the best preparations sometimes may still not be good enough. “Beyond a certain point, you can’t beat nature,” he said.
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