48,000 gravitraps to be placed in Singapore by end of 2016: minister

48,000 Gravitraps, which trap female mosquitoes, will be placed around Singapore by the end of 2016, up from 37,000 deployed currently, said the country's Minister of Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Tuesday at the Parliament.

On tackling the spread of Zika virus, Masagos Zulkifli said over 200 mosquitoes breeding habitats have been destroyed during inspections of National Environment Agency since the first locally-transmitted Zika case reported on Aug. 27.

The minister said that it is not possible to eliminate Aedes mosquitoes, but current strategy has kept the population low. He noted that fogging is effective only in dengue or Zika clusters, and it is not sustainable to do so outside the clusters, as there is also the danger of mosquitoes growing immune to certain chemicals which have been used too frequently.

Apart from fogging, Masagos Zulkifli said key strategy for Zika and dengue control involved "source eradication," or the detection and removal of breeding habitats and larvae.

Masagos Zulkifli said more than 10,000 breeding habitats around Singapore were destroyed between January and July this year, and half of which were in homes, while about 5 percent in construction sites.

Singapore has confirmed 333 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection, including eight pregnant women, as of Monday. Government agencies stressed that vector control is important to tackle Zika infection. Endit