Image via Wikipedia05:55 AM Jun 10, 2009
THREE species of the Anopheles mosquito have been found breeding in the recent malaria clusters - one of which is a known malaria vector, or agent, in China and South Korea.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the Anopheles sinensis is not known to have caused malaria in Singapore, and investigations are still in progress to determine if it caused the latest outbreak.
The other two species discovered do not transmit malaria.
Fourteen cases of suspected local malaria transmission were discovered last month in the Mandai-Sungei Kadut area and Jurong Island - the largest local outbreak in years. None of the patients had been abroad recently.
Operations to destroy mosquito breeding grounds began at the end of last month, and will continue for at least three more weeks.
Up to 50 officers have been deployed daily to the two clusters to conduct search-and-destroy operations, said NEA’s head of operations for the Environmental Health Department Tai Ji Choong.
“We are conducting very aggressive night fogging, to destroy any adult Anopheles mosquitos. We also conduct adult mosquito trapping, to determine the effectiveness of our fogging operations,” he told reporters at the edge of a forest in Sungei Kadut yesterday where operations were underway.
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“At the same time, (it is) also to determine what are the species of Anopheles that could be responsible for the outbreak.”
The Anopheles sinensis mosquito breeds in still water and partial sunlight, making the Sungei Kadut forest an ideal location.
With a potential flight range of up to 1km, the foreign worker dormitories and military training camps in the vicinity are at risk of infection.
One of those who suffering from malaria recently was a National Serviceman while the rest were foreign workers.
Dormitory operators have also been told to conduct their own periodic fogging and spraying of insecticide.
The last outbreak of suspected local malaria transmission in Singapore was reported on Jurong Island in 2006, although there are an average of 200 imported cases a year.
Singapore was certified malaria-free by the World Health Organization in 1982, a status granted to countries who have no sustained local transmissions for three consecutive years.
The NEA also has a malaria control programme islandwide which identifies areas that are conducive for mosquito breeding.
The agency’s officers conduct monthly checks on these places to locate and destroy the breeding habitats. 938LIVE
From TODAY, News – Wednesday, 10-Jun-2009; see the source article here.
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