If you have been reading the local news, yes, I’m the one who gave the quotes. And yes, I did swat these 25 mosquitos in a couple of minutes.

My name is Benjamin and I live in Jalan Besar GRC, pretty near the Pek Kio markets. If you’re ever in the area, hit me up and I’ll provide interest free recommendations on what food outlets to avoid.

I live on the ground floor, so naturally I expect mosquitoes. When I moved in 3 years ago, first order of the day was to setup mosquito screens all over the house. These things are not cheap I must say and if any Member of Parliament is reading, maybe you’d like to consider raising a motion to for a Bill to subsidize mosquito defenses?

We’ll always get bitten. I remember a year ago, we saw one of those “dengue alert” banners being put up. It’s very unsettling. The only thing worse than that is probably receiving a text from your boss on a weekend. We’ve got children and they’re the real concern…I mean Kandang Kerbau hospital is near us, but we’re not really eager to try out their services eh?

Have you had dengue before? I have.

In 2007 (or something like that), I suddenly came down with a very weird fever. It felt different, I really can’t explain it. In the evening, after I was done meeting clients, I went down to A&E to get checked out.

The doctor order a blood test. The results came out and he matter of factly, and very swiftly said “Ok, you have tested positive for dengue”.

I was aghast. “Doc, that was too sudden!”

“Why, what do you want? You want us to be friends first? Go for a beer and then after that tell you that you have dengue?”, said the doc.

There is no treatment for dengue. They just send you home, ask you to pray for divine assistance and that’s it. The biggest danger there is, is if you get a cut and lose blood. Dengue affects your blood platelet counts, the stuff responsible for clotting. So simple things like cuts and bleeding gums puts you at risk.

As for me, I had (oh man, I can’t believe I’m putting this on social media)… I had piles at that time. So they had me check into the hospital for observation. The hospital porter, an aunty, put me on a wheelchair and whisked me to my ward.

The aunty, ever eager to make small talk asked me what I was being warded for.

“Dengue lor…”, I said.

“Oh dengue ah. Wah, my neighbor’s brother’s son also keen leh….and then hor, HE DIED LEH,” she said in an animated way.

It was no walk in the park. On top of the fevers, I was not allowed to brush my teeth. I had blood samples taken 3 times a day. It was… horrible.

So today, if you ask me if I’d prefer to deal with a larger, non-biting mosquito population or dengue? Well, I don’t know… I’m not all that eager to have a staycation at Tan Tock Seng again.

And it’s not just dengue, there’s a whole host of cute mosquito diseases such as Japanese encephalitis that can cause babies to become deformed. So you tell me, which would you rather deal with?

The Wolbachia technique has proven itself to work. Cases of dengue fell by 70% – I mean that’s the outcome we all want right? Not to fall sick?

It’s incredibly smart also, who would have thought of it? We’re essentially giving the female mosquitos STD, so that they don’t reproduce. I’m really looking forward to the day that mosquitos go extinct. Them and cockroaches.

But before that day comes, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

Better keep those electric insect zappers handy.