Wanted: 'Dengue fighters' in Singapore

Wanted: 'Dengue fighters' in Singapore

New posters featuring such volunteers - who work alongside the NEA - will be put up. This group of about 2,000 from the Dengue Prevention Volunteer Group has visited more than 700,000 homes since the start of the year to spread anti-dengue messages.


Get the full story from The Straits Times .

Here is the full statement from the National Environment Agency:

SINGAPORE - Singapore joined hands with countries in the region to observe the ASEAN Dengue Day. As we acknowledge the regional scourge of dengue which recognises no borders, we commit to a concerted effort to reduce the burden of dengue in this region. Besides participating in the 3rd ASEAN Dengue Day Conference & Regional Observation in Hanoi, NEA is launching a fresh set of outreach materials to step up its public education. NEA has also organised various activities with our partners and stakeholders such as the scientific community, medical professionals and government agencies, to call for action to fight dengue.

3rd ASEAN Dengue Day Conference

At the 3rd ASEAN Dengue Day Conference & Regional Observation held in Hanoi, Vietnam, NEA's representative met our counterparts from the region to exchange information and knowledge on dengue. Besides the national anti-dengue efforts including the Do the Mozzie Wipeout campaign, Singapore's presentation also focused on virus surveillance and mathematical modeling for early warnings of outbreaks.

Stepped Up Publicity and Resource Materials

On the home front, NEA is calling everyone to be a "Dengue Fighter". For the first time, the collaterals will feature dengue prevention volunteers who have been working alongside NEA to reach out to families, neighbours and friends to advocate dengue prevention. For example, Mr Ganesan Kulandai who has been a member of the Dengue Prevention Volunteer Group (DPVG) since 2004, is featured together with Ms Felicia Goh, a new DPVG volunteer (Refer to Annex 1 for poster visuals). Their dedicated efforts together with 2,000 other DPVG volunteers from all over Singapore are invaluable, having given their time and efforts to reach out to more than 700,000 households since January this year.

In addition, NEA has produced a series of web-based short video clips on how members of the public can protect themselves against dengue. The video also shows the right way of spraying insecticide and the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout. Available in the four official languages and three dialects (Hokkien, Cantonese and Teochew), the video aims to reach out to a wider audience on the important message of dengue prevention.

Pledge Signing Ceremony by Land Transport Authority (LTA)

To commemorate ASEAN Dengue Day, LTA and its contractors will pledge to practise effective vector control and undertake dengue preventive measures tomorrow. As a member of the Inter-Agency Dengue Taskforce (IADTF), LTA has been supportive of dengue prevention initiatives. Since 2011, LTA has been conducting annual X-dengue pledge signing events for their contractors and project management teams to come together to commit to fight dengue by keeping their worksites free from mosquito breeding.

Outreach to Medical and Scientific Community

The Ministry of Health, Tan Tock Seng Hospital and EHI co-organised a seminar for medical doctors, researchers, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals on ASEAN Dengue Day. The seminar included discussions on best practices for dengue diagnosis and clinical management. Through a presentation, posters and exhibits, EHI provided updates on the current dengue situation, including virus epidemiology.

On the eve of the ASEAN Dengue Day, NEA's Environmental Health Institute (EHI) reached out to the research community at the Biopolis. Armed with facts on dengue and its control, and equipped with live exhibits mosquitoes and videos of mosquito emergence from larvae, staff of EHI brought the national anti-dengue message to the scientific community.

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