Dengue in Singapore: Over 650 cases this year

Arti Mulchand, Straits Times 13 Feb 08;

SIX weeks into this year, some 650 dengue cases have been diagnosed, with 41 more emerging since Sunday alone.

This 650 is about twice the figure for the same period last year and the year before.

At least 10 of this year's victims have come down with dengue haemorrhagic fever, the more serious form of dengue, although the disease has not killed anyone, said the Health Ministry.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) put the high figure down to a continuation of the high year-end incidence of the illness.

The average weekly number of cases last December was 124.8; last month, it was 116.4 cases a week. These figures are also double those seen between December 2006 and last January.

But the situation cannot top that in 2005, when dengue hit 14,209 people and killed 25. Six weeks into that year, 1,655 had come down sick.

There are indications Singapore might be emerging from the lull between epidemic cycles and entering a new cycle.

When new cycles begin, case numbers usually go up every year until they hit a peak, NEA explained. By some estimates, each cycle can last three to five years.

A new type of dengue, Den 2, is still in circulation, to which relatively fewer people are immune.

Last year started with a low number of cases. By mid-year, the weekly numbers crossed several times into epidemic levels - over 378 cases a week. By year's end, 8,826 had come down with dengue and 20 had died.

The NEA reminded the public to remain on high alert and to stop providing breeding spots for the dengue-spreading Aedes aegypti.

Dengue has still not been contained in five areas, including Petir Road, Chapel Close and Tung Po Avenue. But the NEA noted that these areas had fewer than 10 cases each.