Dengue fight: More breeding sites found in Tampines, says Masagos

A total of 86 breeding sites were found in a cluster in Tampines, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said in a Facebook post on Friday (Jan 8). 

The Tampines Polyview cluster is located near Temasek Polytechnic. The cluster currently has 195 reported dengue cases as of Thursday, up from 188 on Tuesday.

Of the breeding sites, 60 were found in homes, 19 in common areas, six in other premises and one in a construction site. 

In light of this, the minister called for volunteers to assemble at the Tampines West Community Club on Jan 17 at 2pm to help distribute mosquito repellent to residents in the affected areas, as well as help create awareness on the dengue situation. 

"HIGH LEVEL OF MOSQUITO ACTIVITY" FOUND
During the inspection, adult mosquitoes and larvae were found in traps, indicating a "high level of mosquito activity", said Mr Masagos, who accompanied the National Environment Agency (NEA) on the inspection. This was "despite three rounds of home inspections and destruction of breeding habitats".

On Wednesday, it was reported that Tampines Town Council had already strengthened preventive measures across cluster areas. For example, drains and gullies are now oiled daily to prevent mosquito breeding, up from once a week.

Mr Masagos also said that other than regular checks and oiling of drains, NEA officers have been carrying out inspections at night and on weekends, while reaching out to all residential units.