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8 COMMUNITY April-August 2017 The Spotlight

8 COMMUNITY April-August 2017 The Spotlight

Mozzie Wipe Out not to be Wiped Out

Taman Jurong Division residents believe tackling dengue is a community effort .
BY JOANNE MUK
Taman Jurong residents are vaguely aware of the five-step Mozzie Wipeout campaign even when the neighbourhood was previously home to a dengue cluster .
Dengue has been a long-standing problem in Singapore with the months of June to October receiving higher dengue transmission rates . According to the National Environment Agency ( NEA ), 1529 dengue cases has been reported across Singapore since Jan 1 , 2017 .
To counter this , Mr Roland Choo , Chairman of Taman Jurong Zone D Residential Committee , said that they will have more efforts to remind residents of possible “ mosquito breeding bed ( s )” during the next few months , as Lakeside , a region of the Taman Jurong division , was labelled as a “ yellow zone ” due to a recent dengue cluster . Mr Choo mentioned that the main cause of higher dengue rates in Lakeside was due to construction sites nearby .
However , he stated that Mozzie Wipeout has aided them in bringing “ unfortunate ” dengue situations under control .
The Mozzie Wipeout campaign has been one that is commonly found across Singapore . It reminds Singaporeans on how to prevent the breeding of dengue with five simple steps .
Even though Mr Choo believes in the effectiveness of Mozzie Wipeout , the residents of Lakeside say that the campaign still needs an increase in awareness . Ms Lim Wei Jun , 19 , said that the five-step campaign could be “ emphasised more ” as she has not seen “ much about it ”. On the other hand , some residents are satisfied with government efforts in tackling dengue , understanding that dengue “ cannot be [ entirely ] controlled ,” said Eunice Ong , 22 .
NEA has recently partnered with Yuan Ching Secondary School students and staff to go from door to door , making sure that residents are not contributors of Aedes mosquito breeding .
Besides checking every household for mosquito breeding , NEA also made it a point to remind residents on how to keep their homes dengue free . Despite varied views of Mozzie Wipeout and current government efforts to tackle dengue , residents came to a consensus that tackling dengue is a community effort . Ms Caitlyn Low , 19 , a dengue survivor , said that everyone needs to “ play a part ” and the negligence of one person can have “ consequences ”. Ms Low was diagnosed with type two dengue in early 2016 . She warned others about her “ horrible ” experience such as suffering the common symptoms like headache , joint pain , nausea and rash .
Ms Low initially thought she was suffering from the common flu and only decided to visit her family clinic when her fever and joint pain worsened . She was referred to the National University Hospital ( NUH ) for blood tests which came back dengue positive .
“ I was so scared and weak and I thought I wouldn ’ t get to leave the hospital for weeks ,” said Ms Low who was warded at NUH for a week . At her worst point , she was unable to leave her bed and her fever continuously fluctuated , with a high of over forty degrees Celsius . Even after Ms Low was discharged , she only began regaining strength in the second week following her release .
As NEA has established , to keep one ’ s home dengue free , one should constantly follow the steps of the Mozzie Wipeout campaign . The five-step campaign consists of changing water in vases and bowls , turning over all water storage containers , removing water from flower pots , clearing blockages and placing BTI insecticide in roof gutters and covering bamboo pole holders when not in use .
Singaporeans can also report any probable mosquito breeding sites to NEA via the feedback form on their website or contact the NEA hotline .
Pails still left upright in the Taman Jurong division , threatening the safety of residents due to stagnant water collection which can lead to mosquito breeding . Photo : Joanne Muk .
Graphic : Joanne Muk .

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