Dengue cases dip to lowest weekly figure this year

Channel NewsAsia 4 Oct 16;

SINGAPORE: A total of 138 new dengue cases were reported in Singapore in the week ending Oct 1, 35 cases fewer than the previous week and the lowest weekly figure this year, according to figures published on the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) dengue website on Tuesday (Oct 4).

The previous lowest was the 161 cases reported in the second week of June.

Another 20 cases were reported between Oct 2 and 3pm on Oct 3. A total of 12,054 dengue cases have been reported in Singapore since the start of the year.

Seven people have died of the disease so far, with the latest fatality a 79-year-old man who lived in Eastwood Drive near Upper East Coast Road. There were four dengue fatalities in the whole of 2015.

There are now 26 active dengue clusters in Singapore – down from 35 the previous week – including six classified as high-risk. The biggest cluster is in the area around Yishun Avenue 4 and Yishun Street 61, where 61 cases have been reported, including five in the past fortnight.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) 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