Dengue Control - Singaporean experience - partII

Lionel Wijesiri

Continued from yesterday’s

A program was introduced to train Operation Managers of schools on dengue prevention. Through the training, these Managers have a deeper knowledge of mosquito control and are able to audit the performance of their pest control operators more effectively. NEA also worked closely with the schools to put in place a comprehensive mosquito control program.

Town Councils. NEA had assisted TCs to commence a dedicated mosquito control program. The dedicated program focuses the dengue control efforts on source reduction. Apart from providing technical specifications for dengue control works, NEA also provided some financial assistance for these programs.

TC officers were also trained as Property Environmental Officers so as to equip them with the necessary mosquito control knowledge and skills to supervise the performance of pest control operators. Regular meetings with TCs are held to assess and review the dengue situation within their respective TC areas.

Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force. The Chief Executive of NEA chairs the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force (IADTF) comprising of 25 Government agencies and private associations. Through IADTF, NEA leads other government agencies to similarly enhance their mosquito control programs. This collaboration has enhanced the communication and coordination on dengue control efforts among various agencies.

Since of late, the mosquito control regimes of the various Government agencies had been strengthened. Each agency has put in place a tighter and more comprehensive source reduction regime in their mosquito control contracts with pest control operators. Furthermore, permanent solutions to eliminate potential sources of stagnant water like repairs to infrastructure, sealing up of cracks, backfilling of land, and removal of roof-gutters are carried out on a regular basis.

(c) Intensive Source Reduction Exercises (ISREs)

As NEA officers carry out routine surveillance checks every day, additional pre-emptive Intensive Source Reduction Exercises? (ISREs) are carried out ahead of the warmer months to preempt the rise in dengue fever cases, which usually occurs around June to October.

ISREs consist of coordinated, search and destroy operations carried out to remove mosquito breeding habitats (including potential habitats), hence suppressing the rise in mosquito population during warmer months. The operations cover all public areas and residential areas, as well as premises belonging to government agencies.

Community Outreach

NEA’s community outreach reaches two segments:

1)Engaging the Community in dengue prevention

Active community involvement is the key to keep the mosquito breeding low in homes. To engage the community, NEA adopts a two-pronged communication approach that incorporates a national publicity strategy and a series of target-group specific (e.g. residents, foreign workers/ domestic workers and outbound travelers) outreach programmes.

2) Reaching out through 3P (People, Private and Public Sectors) Partners

To effectively reach out to different segments of the population, NEA works very closely with 3P (People-Public-Private Sectors) partners to jointly develop and roll out dengue prevention activities through various means.

With the strong continual support from their 3P partners like community volunteers, grass roots organizations, Community Development Councils, educational institutions and various Government agencies, many outreach initiatives are rolled-out successfully to the community.

WHO notes: “in order to achieve sustainability of a successful vector control program, it is essential to focus on larval source reduction and to have complete cooperation with non-health sectors, such as non-governmental organizations, civic organizations and community groups, to ensure community understanding and involvement in implementation.

There is therefore a need to adopt an integrated approach to mosquito control by including all appropriate methods (environmental, biological and chemical) that are safe, cost-effective and environmentally acceptable. A successful, sustainable control program must involve a partnership between Government control agencies and the community.”

Singapore has understood the WHO message very clearly.

What can we, in Sri Lanka, learn from the Singaporean experience? We should always remind ourselves that we are only as strong as the weakest link and complacency comes at a price.

Government efforts alone will not be enough to sustain the results to be achieved. Raising community awareness and maintaining vigilance are also crucial elements in dengue prevention.

That is why we have to place more emphasis on public education and community outreach programs to solicit the active and sustained participation of the community and households in our fight against dengue.