Taking efforts for granted

Regarding the article "Spike in dengue cases; one dead" by Loh Chee Kong published on 25th May, I think that we must all put in efforts to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. According to the article, there is a sharp increase in dengue cases. This is rather shocking considering the fact that the government has put in extra efforts in an attempt to solve this problem. It seems like these efforts are backfiring.

Even though there are many agencies out there spreading the message to stop mosquitoes from breeding, people tend to take things for granted. There will definitely be people out there who think that they do not need to do anything since these agencies are already doing the job. Well this is not true. We cannot be too dependent on these agencies as the dengue problem can only be solved if we work together with these agencies. No matter what the agencies do, it is not enough. This is because if people are not willing to cooperate with these agencies, the problem will never be solved as there are too many potential mosquito breeding places.

Therefore, I think that the government should not just plainly concentrate on spreading the message that we should stop mosquitoes from breeding, but instead, aim to gain the support of the people first. For example, the government can reward people who do not have reported cases of dengue fever. This might be costly, but people who take the effort to stop mosquitoes from breeding will feel that the government recognises their efforts and thus, keep up with what they are doing. At the same time, they will also encourage their friends and relatives to stop mosquitoes from breeding. This method does not only appeal to the people to keep up with their efforts in stopping mosquitoes from breeding, but also helps spread the message quicker and more efficiently.

But that's not all. One of the agencies, the National Environment Agency (NEA), has put in a lot of efforts in spreading the message that we should stop mosquitoes from breeding. However, there is one problem, agencies like the NEA are just not influential enough. This is due to the fact that they are simply 'outnumbered'. I think that agencies like the NEA spread the message effectively, but only to certain people as the NEA does not have the manpower. The grassroot leaders should play a part too. They should make use of their manpower and influence to help spread the message.

Finally, it is important that we give our support to the government and the environmental agencies as the problem can only be solved if we are willing to cooperate.