During such educational visits, NEA officers will highlight all potential mosquito breeding grounds in that particular home and the corrective measures the resident needs to undertake. NEA will not take enforcement action against the resident for any mosquito breeding found on such visits. Officers will inform residents the purpose of their visits at the commencement of every visit. NEA will also be roping in more volunteers during the non-peak season to drive home the message of preventing mosquitobreeding by getting rid of all stagnant water in and around the home.

 

However, for neighbourhoods that are in a dengue cluster, i.e. an area where dengue is transmitting, NEA officers will continue to carry out their regular inspections even during this educational period.

 

Regular inspections will be conducted during the traditional peak transmission season between April to October. In instances where there is a need for concerted action to curb dengue transmission, enforcement on mosquito breeding found through such inspections remains necessary to reinforce the need for heightened awareness and vigilance.

It is also important to note that the non-peak dengue transmission period of November to March and peak period of April to October indicated above is just a guide based on past data. NEA will adjust these periods should there be any change in the rate of transmission of the disease, which may warrant more enforcement action to be taken, in addition to the educational visits.

Mr Andrew Tan, CEO of NEA, said: “We hope that with this new outreach effort, more residents will be aware of the risks of mosquito breeding and develop the good habit of checking their homes and removing potential mosquito breeding spots regularly." As part of the visits, NEA will also be distributing educational pamphlets to households.

Mr Tan added, “We will be monitoring the progress of the new outreach programme closely. The new regime is only as effective as the level of support and cooperation from households. We hope all households will come on board this effort. All of us have a responsibility to keep our homes and immediate premises free from mosquito breeding."

NEA will continue to conduct regular inspections around the common spaces of estates and other areas such as construction sites and drains. For any lapses found in these places, officers will continue to take enforcement action as NEA has been conducting briefings and outreach activities to the relevant authorities in charge of these areas. 

 

Information on dengue clusters will continue to be made available to the public via notification letters, banners and posters on site. The public can also access www.dengue.gov.sg for daily updates on the latest dengue clusters in Singapore. In addition, the public can subscribe to www.x-dengue.com, a new platform which alerts subscribers via SMS if a dengue cluster forms in a neighbourhood they live in or frequent.

 

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