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SINGAPORE: The number of homes found to be breeding mosquitoes dropped by two-thirds – from 53 in every 10,000 homes in 2005 to just 18 last year.
Fewer dengue cases had also been reported.
In 2005, more than 14,000 people came down with dengue and 19 people died from it in the worst outbreak in Singapore for decades.
The number dropped to about 3,100 in 2006.
Environment officers have been making their rounds to plant nurseries, shops and other commercial areas, and they plan to check even more of such areas over the next few days.
This is on top of the work done by an inter-agency dengue task force.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) has worked with 164 nurseries to check their premises and the plants that were specially brought in for the Lunar New Year – like Pussy Willow and Lucky Bamboo – for mosquito breeding.
The Agency has fined two nurseries S$200 each for breeding Aedes mosquitoes.
It has distributed about 40,000 posters in HDB estates, urging residents to be vigilant in the run up to the Lunar New Year.
2,000 posters have also been distributed at plant nurseries.
The agency increased its checks on homes by about 60 percent last year. In 2006, 1,500,000 inspections were carried out, compared with 934,000 in 2005.
NEA will also work with residents and their town councils to minimise mosquito breeding.
Tai Ji Choong, Head, Operations, Environmental Health Department, NEA, said: "We see people buying more of those decorative plants, especially Lucky Bamboos. There is a very high risk of mosquitoes breeding in those plants if they are not taken care of properly. The weather is also turning warmer, so we want everybody to play their part to make sure they're not breeding mosquitoes."
With warmer weather comes faster breeding time for mosquitoes, so some nurseries are taking extra precautions.
One of the nurseries is using a type of jelly to prevent mosquito breeding and pesticides to kill the larvae.
Chiam Whiteley, Owner, Chiam Garden, said: "Every morning, my guys will check the water, clear away the water from the previous day as well as add in medicine such as Abate or Laevikil. That's the prevention."
60 dengue cases a week were reported for the first four weeks of this year. That is the same weekly average as last year. - CNA/so
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