▲Singapore’s coastal residential complex (Photo = Unsplash)
There is a saying that mosquitoes in autumn are more poisonous. Although it is the threshold of autumn, mosquitoes are still rampant. As mosquito populations increase worldwide due to global warming, mosquito-borne infectious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever are also on the rise.
However, among Southeast Asian countries that are the main stage of dengue fever, Singapore is famous for its low incidence of dengue fever and the absence of mosquitoes. In fact, insects do not fly to people despite the hot and humid midsummer weather. In green areas with many trees, such as parks, there are at least some insects, but in residential complexes, it is hard to find even a fly or a flying insect, let alone a mosquito.
Is Singapore a special environment unlike other Southeast Asian countries? The reason was the strong management of the Singapore government. Singapore, as a ‘fine country’, imposes fines on mosquitoes. If larvae or eggs are found in drains or puddles that could harbor mosquitoes, the owner or manager of the dwelling could face hefty fines.
Previously, the fine was 200 Singapore dollars (about 190,000 won) regardless of the number of cases caught, but from 2020, as the punishment has been strengthened, a fine of 300 Singapore dollars (about 290,000 won) is imposed for each case, and if it is caught 3 times, it will be prosecuted and up to 3,000 Singapore dollars. (about 2.92 million won) or 3 months in prison.
Apartment complexes are stricter. If an apartment complex is discovered, the manager has to pay a fine of 5,000 Singapore dollars (about 4.87 million won). Construction sites are subject to a fine of 3,000 Singapore dollars for the first offense and up to 3 months in prison for a maximum of 20,000 Singapore dollars (approximately 19.5 million won) when the site manager is prosecuted for the third offense.
The Singapore Environment Agency (NEA) periodically visits door to door to inspect mosquito habitats. If the house is empty, revisit the date and time, and if no one is there, you can forcefully open the door and enter.
The inspector who visited in this way checks the presence of mosquito larvae and eggs not only in the yard, but also in the interior of the house, wherever water is collected, such as washroom drains, water containers, flower pots, trash cans, and toilets. In order to avoid fines, apartments, etc. have no choice but to periodically disinfect and manage.
Not only that, but the Singapore government also actively suppressed mosquitoes by introducing ‘sterile mosquitoes’. In 2020, when dengue infections surged in the country, Singapore sprayed 1,455 residential areas with male Aedes mosquitoes, which were infertile due to infection with the Wolbachia bacterium. This is because eggs laid by mating with infertile mosquitoes do not hatch, which can inhibit population growth. In this way, mosquitoes were reduced by up to 90% in areas where there were many mosquitoes. As a result of the preliminary experiment, 20 to 30 mosquitoes were caught per 100 nets, but it was reduced to about two.
In addition, NEA has installed about 70,000 mosquito traps (Gravitraps) in residential complexes across Singapore to attract and capture mosquitoes.
The reason why the Singapore government is doing its best in ‘mosquito control’ is to prevent mosquito-borne infectious diseases such as dengue fever and Zika. In 2020, dengue fever patients in Singapore reached 26,000, surpassing the 2013 record of about 22,000. In 2022, the number of patients was 10,123.
Dengue fever causes joint pain along with high fever, headache, and body aches, and in severe cases, it can lead to death from internal bleeding, difficulty breathing, and organ failure. There is no proper vaccine or treatment, so the only prevention is to fight mosquitoes, which serve as vectors. As such, it is raising fever for mosquito control to prevent dengue fever.
Singapore specifies the number of dengue fever outbreaks on a weekly basis, and if two or more cases of dengue fever infection occur within 150 meters within 14 days, the area is designated as a dengue cluster and centralized management.
NEA distributes mosquito repellent and tools to remove mosquito habitats to households in the intensive management area, and arranges volunteers to clean the area around the building. In addition, efforts are being made to promote dengue fever prevention, such as attaching posters with action tips to prevent dengue fever.
In Korea, the number of patients with mosquito-borne infectious diseases is increasing every year. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of malaria cases in Korea in the first half of this year was 312, more than doubling from 152 in the first half of last year. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also set a goal of reducing the number of cases of malaria to zero by 2021 to 2023, but so far, the number of malaria patients has remained at the level of 300 to 400, and this year it has increased even more.
Until now, patients with domestic mosquito-borne infectious diseases have been infected overseas, and no cases of infection from domestic mosquitoes have been found, but as temperatures rise due to climate change and El Niño, Korea may not be safe from mosquitoes that inhabit subtropical regions. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also warned that “mosquito-borne virus infections could increase this year and next.”
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2023-09-01 09:30:18
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