THE six- to seven-year cycle of dengue outbreaks has been broken, and chikungunya and malaria have also been brought under control, the National Environment Agency (NEA) announced on Tuesday.
With dengue, the number of cases typically rises over a period of six years or so, and then climaxes in a major outbreak, explained Mr Tai Ji Choong, who heads operations at NEA?s environmental health department.
Since the last major outbreak in 2005, the number of dengue cases has gone into a long fall - from 8,826 cases in 2007 to 7,031 in 2008, to 4,497 last year. If the dengue cycle was playing to form, these numbers should have been rising instead of falling, Mr Tai said.
In the first 33 weeks of this year - and with the May-to-October dengue breeding season almost done - the number of cases stood at 3,015, lower than last year's total for the same period.
He attributed the year-on-year decline to the NEA's disease management approach, which involves public environment and health agencies working closely with water agency PUB, the Housing Board and other public and private groups.
Called 'integrated vector management', the approach also involves reducing the use of fogging chemicals so the dengue-carrying Aedes mosquito does not become resistant to them, and designing buildings and bus stops so that possible mosquito breeding spots such as gutters and bamboo-pole holders are not a part of their design, Mr Tai said.
