Singapore Students Contract Malaria as Disease Spreads
      SINGAPORE (AP) _ Two students caught malaria at a 
Singapore resort recently as mosquito-borne diseases 
continue to resist government efforts to eradicate them, a 
newspaper said Saturday.
      The two boys were hospitalized after contracting the 
deadly parasite last month during a group outing in 
Singapore's eastern Changi district, where the 
city-state's international airport and a number of 
recreational sites are located.
      One of the students is in critical condition, The 
Straits Times reported a Ministry of Environment spokesman 
as saying.
      More than 185 cases of malaria have been identified 
so far this year in Singapore, according to the newspaper. 
Malaria claimed its first fatality of the year in June, 
when a teenager succumbed to the disease.
      Cases of dengue fever, a potentially fatal virus 
also carried by mosquitoes, reached 2,079 for the first 

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A2Kfive months of this year, up from 1,285 in the same period 
last year.
      The government continues to conduct public-awareness 
campaigns to highlight the dangers of letting mosquitoes 
breed on construction sites and around homes. Homeowners 
and construction companies can be fined for failing to 
take steps against the insects.
      In addition to frequent inspections, the Environment 
Ministry routinely fogs areas where the diseases appear.
      Nevertheless, malaria and dengue are making a 
resurgence in Singapore, just as they are throughout 
tropical Southeast Asia.
      Last year, the city-state had a record number of 
cases of dengue fever and other mosquito-transmitted 
diseases. That year, there were 421 victims of malaria and 
4,300 cases of dengue fever.