Dengue: Fight it the Sars way

01 Sep 2005, Today

Question

Dengue: Fight it the Sars way

In a letter to TODAY (p22), a reader, Jeffrey Ho Loon Poh, called for the Government to fight dengue the Sars way by implementing drastic measures such as doing more to isolate those infected and mandating that roof gutters be changed or improved to prevent water pooling, especially in older houses. Ho felt that MOH had to focus on the management of infected patients and the long-term search for a vaccination. In the shorter-term, he suggested requiring all confirmed dengue cases to be quarantined at a designated "quarantined hospital - an existing hospital or a hostel/hotel that is 'fortified' against the Ades mosquito". He said that it would also be good if people were encouraged to go for dengue diagnostic testing upon being bitten by mosquitoes and if the cost was prohibitive, the Government could consider some form of subsidy. Doctors, he added, should be required to conduct dengue testing on all fever patients and report all suspected cases for quarantine.

Reply

Reply from MOH 

Working together to battle dengue 

In,"Dengue: Fight it the SARS Way" (TODAY, 1 Sept) , Mr Jeffrey Ho asked for drastic SARS measures to tackle the recent increase in dengue cases. 

We share Mr Ho's concerns over the increase in dengue cases and would like to assure him that the Government will spare no effort to tackle the dengue menace. 

We would like to explain that unlike the case of SARS, isolating dengue patients is ineffective in controlling the spread of dengue. Dengue patients may be infective before the onset of symptoms and many infected with the dengue virus may show no symptoms at all. The key to dengue control is thus the elimination of the Aedes mosquito to break the chain of transmission. 

Nevertheless, some of the insights obtained during SARS remain relevant. A central aspect of our approach to battling SARS was the recognition that everyone in Singapore had a role to play. Likewise, dengue control has been a partnership effort by government agencies, companies and the community alike. It is of utmost importance that this collaboration is sustained. Houseowners, whether they live in landed properties or flats, can do their bit to prevent mosquito breeding by clearing blockages from roof gutters, clearing leaves and stagnant water from drains, removing water from potted plants daily, avoiding the use of pot plates and changing the water in vases everyday. Town Councils can also do the same in public areas in housing estates; likewise, school administrators for school properties. Developers and land owners need to periodically clear vacant land, while contractors need to continue their effort to check for potential mosquito breeding habitats in construction sites. 

At the same time, those suspected or confirmed with Dengue can also help stop the virus from being further transmitted to their family and loved ones by using repellent during the fever stage. 

The NEA has expanded its efforts in mosquito surveillance and control, working with the various land agencies, Town Councils, and facility management to step up checks. MOH is undertaking epidemiological surveillance of dengue patients, working closely with GPs and polyclinics to report possible new cases. This allows us to track the development of active dengue clusters, which enables teams to quickly check for new breeding locations. We have also published maps on both MOH and NEA websites to better inform Singaporeans of the location of dengue cases. 

The most effective weapon against Dengue Fever today is for all Singaporeans to deny the mosquito a place to breed. Working together, just like we did during SARS, would help us to win this battle against dengue fever.