CHICKEN pox is still spreading among workers living in dormitories at Tagore Industrial Estate, and migrant worker advocacy groups say little has been done by employers to improve living conditions even after a recent death.

Three weeks after foreign worker Mohd Kamaluddin, who was infected with chicken pox, died, three more cases have been discovered in the dorm at 468 Tagore Industrial Avenue, where he lived.

Bangladeshi worker Rajib Aiz Uddin, 30, who works for Gates Offshore, said he was ill last Saturday and saw a doctor at the Apollo Medical Centre that day. The doctor confirmed that he had chicken pox.

Two other workers were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment over the last week.

Said a volunteer at advocacy group Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), who did not wish to be named: 'The area is still a breeding ground for such illnesses. The dorm is dark and damp, and there is no ventilation.'

When The Straits Times visited the dorm on Monday, infected workers were sleeping in a separate room, which is an improvement from the last outbreak, when those with chicken pox were not quarantined.

However, the room had no beds, was not air-conditioned, and the workers were free to leave the room and mingle with others in the dorm.

Read the full report in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.