Anti-mozzie ops to start in Kallang Way, Paya Lebar Way

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Members of Parliament Tin Pei Ling and Maliki Osman visited homes in Aljunied Crescent on Wednesday as part of ongoing efforts to reach out to residents to educate them on Zika prevention.
The cluster of housing at Paya Lebar Way where five of those infected with Zika had lived or worked in. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

The National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Ministry of Health said yesterday that the agency will be commencing vector control operations in Kallang Way and Paya Lebar Way.

This is after 26 cases of locally transmitted infections were confirmed by the health authorities yesterday, with five of those infected having lived or worked in both areas.

About 5,000 premises have been inspected around Sims Drive and Aljunied Crescent for mosquito breeding, as vector control remains the most effective way to combat the Zika virus.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has identified 6,000 to be inspected in this cluster of Zika transmission.Measures include intensifying misting and fogging activities in the vicinity of Aljunied Crescent to kill adult mosquitoes, and increasing the frequency of flushing and oiling drains to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in them.

A total of 39 breeding habitats - comprising 23 in homes and 16 in common areas and other premises - have been detected and destroyed.

NEA officers and grassroots volunteers have completed the first round of outreach efforts in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive cluster, to distribute leaflets containing Zika information.

Officers will continue to do outreach in the areas of concern to raise awareness of the mosquito-borne virus, reiterate the need to prevent mosquito breeding, and advise residents to apply repellent.

At Jurong GRC, MP Ang Wei Neng said the town council has stepped up vector control efforts in open fields and community gardens in the estate. Toh Guan Road East was one of the neighbourhoods where NEA had carried out fogging as an area of concern.

So far, no mosquito breeding sites have been found during the inspections by the town council, he added.

While there has been no case of local transmission in his area yet, Mr Ang said that he hopes residents won't be complacent. "The best chance we have got at preventing transmission is to stop the mosquitoes from breeding," he said.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 31, 2016, with the headline Anti-mozzie ops to start in Kallang Way, Paya Lebar Way. Subscribe