Number of dengue cases rises for 4th straight week

Channel NewsAsia 12 Jul 16;

SINGAPORE: The number of new dengue cases in Singapore has risen for the fourth consecutive week, with 247 cases in the week ending Jul 9, compared to 234 the previous week, according to latest figures on the National Environment Agency's (NEA) dengue website on Tuesday (Jul 12).

Another 26 cases were reported between Jul 10 and 3pm on Jul 11.

In total, 9,471 dengue cases have been reported in Singapore since the start of the year, according to NEA. At least five people have died of the disease so far - a 47-year-old man who lived in Marsiling Rise, a 67-year-old man who lived in Toa Payoh, a 63-year-old woman who lived in Bedok, a 73-year-old woman who lived in Hougang, and in the latest case, a 79-year-old man who lived in Kaki Bukit.

There are now 49 active dengue clusters in Singapore - up from 36 in the previous week. Eight are classified as high-risk. The biggest cluster is in the Telok Kurau and Dunbar Walk area, where 63 cases have been reported, including 28 in the past fortnight.

The area around Admiralty Drive and Sembawang Drive is the second largest dengue cluster in Singapore as of this week. A total of 44 cases have been reported so far, including 2 in the past fortnight.

The area around Jalan Ismail and Lorong Marican near Eunos is also classified as high-risk, with 44 cases reported thus far, including 12 in the past two weeks.

In an advisory on its dengue website, NEA called for vigilance from homeowners to prevent mosquito breeding amid the traditional peak season for dengue in Singapore.

- CNA/dl


More than 200 new dengue cases for 4th straight week
Channel NewsAsia 19 Jul 16;

SINGAPORE: For the fourth consecutive week, more than 200 new dengue cases were reported in Singapore, according to latest figures published on the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) dengue website.

There were 223 dengue cases in the week ending Jul 16, down slightly from the 246 cases reported in the previous week. Another 28 cases were reported between Jul 17 and 3pm on Jul 18.

A total of 9,641 dengue cases have been reported in Singapore since the start of the year. Six people have died of the disease so far this year, with the latest fatality a 72-year-old woman who lived in Simei. There were four dengue fatalities in the whole of 2015.

There are now 44 active dengue clusters in Singapore – down from 49 the previous week – including eight classified as high-risk. The biggest cluster is in the Telok Kurau and Dunbar Walk area, where 70 cases have been reported, including 12 in the past fortnight.

The area around Jalan Ismail and Lorong Marican near Eunos is the second-largest dengue cluster, with 49 cases reported so far, including six in the past two weeks. The area around Admiralty Drive and Sembawang Drive has also been classified as high-risk, with 48 cases reported, including three in the past fortnight.

In an advisory on its dengue website, NEA called for vigilance from homeowners to prevent mosquito breeding amid the traditional peak season for dengue in Singapore. The majority of mosquito breeding habitats are still being found in homes, such as in domestic containers, flower pot plates and trays, it said.

The Ministry of Health and NEA have warned that the number of dengue cases in Singapore may exceed 30,000 this year, higher than the record of 22,170 reported in 2013.

- CNA/cy