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Malaria Control Experience at Jurong Island and Pulau Busing |
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12 December 2006 Malaria is a vector-borne disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite and transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito, and is one of the most severe public health problems worldwide. Typical symptoms of this disease include fever and chills, but left untreated, severe complications and death may ensue. Each year, 350-500 million cases of malaria occur worldwide, and over 1 million people (mostly young children and pregnant women) die from it. Malaria transmission has been eliminated in many countries of the world, though intermittent episodes of imported cases may still occur, mostly in returning travellers or immigrants. Singapore was declared malaria-free by WHO in November 1982, but the National Environment Agency (NEA) continues to maintain a comprehensive vector surveillance programme to prevent its re-introduction, particularly as the mosquito vectors are still present. Several malaria cases have recently been reported amongst foreign workers at Jurong Island and Pulau Busing. NEA carried out major operations to effectively control the outbreak, including intensive search-and-destroy measures for the vectors, chemical and Bti (microbial larvicide) treatments, light-trapping and bed-net provision. In this session, officers from the Environmental Health Institute (EHI) and Environmental Health Department (EHD) of NEA will talk about malaria and its vectors in Singapore, and share with the audience the ground experience in the recent control operations conducted.
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