'Significant increase' in dengue cases, with further rise likely: NEA

Channel NewsAsia 2 Jul 14;

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) has reported a “significant increase” in the number of dengue cases in Singapore, with the figures likely to rise as the weather heats up.

A total of 676 cases were reported during the week ending June 28, up from 553 the previous week, latest figures on the NEA website showed. Between June 28 and 3.30pm on July 1, there were another 265 reported cases.

The NEA warned that there may be a further rise in dengue cases over the next two to three months, with the warmer weather shortening the breeding and maturation cycles of the Aedes mosquitoes, as well as the incubation periods for the dengue virus.

Parts of Hougang and Serangoon continue to be hotspots, with more than 500 dengue cases reported in those areas in the last two weeks.

“The best way to mitigate the higher transmission is to continue efforts to reduce the mosquito population,” the NEA said on its website. “NEA and its Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force partners, as well as Town Councils, are not letting up on efforts to check for and remove potential mosquito breeding habitats.”

Nearly 9,000 people have been diagnosed with dengue so far this year, according to the NEA website.

- CNA/cy

898 cases of dengue reported last week: NEA
Channel NewsAsia 8 Jul 14;

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) said there was a "sharp rise" in the number of reported cases of dengue in the week ending July 5, and warned that it expects the number of cases to rise further during the ongoing peak dengue season.

In a statement on Tuesday (July 8), NEA said there were 898 reported cases of dengue in the week ending July 5, and the figure was a sharp rise from the 674 reported cases from the previous week. As of July 7, there have been a total of 9,697 reported cases of dengue in 2014. DENV-1, the strain of virus that caused the 2013 epidemic, remains dominant, accounting for almost 90 per cent of infections, according to the NEA.


The agency said that its Gravitrap surveillance system revealed that the population of adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes has doubled since May 2014.

The NEA said it usually sees a higher transmission of dengue in the country in the hotter months of June to October, due to the accelerated breeding and maturation cycles for the Aedes mosquitoes and shorter incubation periods for the dengue virus.

"NEED TO REDUCE MOSQUITO POPULATION URGENTLY"

The NEA, other Government agencies from the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force, and all town councils are continuing to check public areas and housing estates for potential breeding grounds, with officers carrying out daily checks for breeding habitats in these areas. More than 1.5 million inspections have been carried out this year, the agency said, with space spraying and Gravitraps used to eliminate adult mosquitoes.

"We need to reduce the mosquito population urgently," the NEA said.

At the community level, NEA is calling residents to play their part in removing stagnant water, to deprive the mosquitoes of their breeding habitat.

Those infected with dengue should protect themselves from mosquito bites by applying repellent regularly, and those showing symptoms suggestive of dengue should see their GPs early to be diagnosed, the agency said.