SINGAPORE- Two-thirds of mosquito breeding sites are found in homes while the rest are in common areas and construction sites, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Saturday morning (Sept 3).
"It's not because our home owners don't know the danger of breeding at home. Sometimes, some of them don't realise that by not turning over water regularly in their vase, it will breed mosquitoes," he said.
"These mosquitoes have also adapted very well to our environment. They know where to find water as much as we hide it."
He was speaking to reporters at the Tampines West Community Centre after handing out pamphlets on the Zika virus to residents nearby as part of a two-week island wide outreach effort.
Source eradication is an important means to fight Zika and dengue, he said, urging everyone to do their part by eliminating breeding sites.
"In the suppression of Zika, it's the same as what we do for dengue, which is to ensure that our vector control is effective. And indeed WHO (World Health Organisation) has also affirmed that our vector control processes are something that's exemplary," added Masagos.
Masagos added that the Ministry of Health has done very well to inform the public that Zika is a "mild disease", and that the symptoms of Zika are not as bad as dengue.
"We are concerned, though, that there can be impact on women who are pregnant and by-and-large I think our population understands that," he said.
He added that it is important to listen to the experts and get the facts right.
Over this weekend and the next, there will be outreach efforts carried out around 50 areas islandwide. These include Bukit Panjang, Bedok and Bishan North.
On Friday(Sept 2), the WHO said that Singapore was a role model in the way it handled its Zika cases. The country is expected to complete the gene sequencing of the virus strain behind the cases here by next week.
On August 27, the authorities announced that a locally transmitted case had been detected in the Aljunied area. The number of infections stood at 189 as of Friday noon (Sept 2) - including 38 newly detected cases. So far, two pregnant women have been infected.
