Good morning,

BG Lam Joon Khoi, Chief Executive Officer, National Environment Agency

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my pleasure to join you today to launch the National Environment Agency’s new broadband website on Public Health.

Singapore is located in a region where tropical diseases are endemic. As a densely populated city, we have come a long way in sustaining a high standard of public health for our people. Through adequate provision of environmental infrastructure, effective enforcement and public education, we have thus far been successful in keeping infectious diseases at bay. These include food-borne, water-borne as well as vector-borne diseases.

Our challenge today is to be able to sustain this high standard of public health and continue to keep the incidence of infectious diseases low. To this end, we need to go beyond just enforcement and education. We have to strengthen our capacity in disease surveillance, and in preempting any form of new infectious diseases that may come our way.

Early this year, we launched an Environmental Health Institute, where a host of research activities are now being carried out to develop innovative and cost-effective ways of combating vector-borne diseases. The Institute will over time strengthen our capabilities in dealing with both common and emerging infectious diseases.

Today, we are launching a broadband website which is aimed at enhancing our awareness on public health issues. I am told that this new website is home to some 200 pages of information, presented in a variety of interactive multi-media platforms. With the information presented in a colourful and animated fashion, I am sure that this broadband portal will soon become a fun and popular site for the young and old.

Every one of us has a part to play in our efforts to sustain our good level of public health. As individuals, there are many simple things that we can do to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases. For a start, we can help by keeping our homes and workplaces clean and vector-free.

The battle against infectious diseases is an unending one. We cannot afford to be lax in our surveillance. We must be vigilant in preventing any outbreak or spread of any tropical diseases. One important and current public health concern is dengue fever. There has been a resurgence of dengue worldwide, and the region where Singapore is located is among the worst affected. The WHO has estimated that 40% of the world’s population is today at risk from dengue. The El Nino weather pattern has brought about warmer weather to our region. This helps the Aedes mosquitoes, responsible for spreading the dengue, to mature faster.

Unfortunately, as at today, the control of dengue still depends very much on how well one manages the mosquito population.

In Singapore, our fight against dengue will continue to be a multi-pronged one. This includes prevention, enforcement, research and public education. We have in place a good public cleaning system to minimise water collection on potential mosquito breeding grounds. Environmental health officers of NEA conduct spot-checks in residential areas, schools and industrial sites regularly. NEA has since distributed more than 9,200 sachets of temephos insecticide to landed properties to help stop mosquitoes from breeding. Our Environmental Health Institute is also working closely with other research institutions to jointly develop vaccines for dengue.

While NEA has put in great efforts to control the spread of this disease by managing the vector population, the community can also play a crucial role to help keep the disease at bay. The Public Health loop website suggests that even simple acts like emptying water from our flower pot plates or installing anti-mosquito valve into gully traps can help. With greater awareness, and through some of these simple acts, I am sure that we can all help to cut down the risk of dengue spreading, and in turn better protect our loved ones from dengue fever.

Some of you may already know that the Public Health website is NEA’s third broadband website. The two other websites dealing with the subjects of air and solid waste were launched last year and I encourage you to also visit them for a complete overview of environmental issues of concern to us.

In closing, I would like to congratulate NEA on the production of this Public Health website. It now gives me great pleasure to declare the Public Health website launched. Thank you.

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