63-year-old man dies from dengue in 4th death this year

Channel NewsAsia 31 May 19;

SINGAPORE: A 63-year-old man has become the fourth person to die from dengue this year, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Friday (May 31).

The man died on Wednesday, MOH and NEA added.

“The patient’s residence at Hougang Ave 1 is not an active dengue cluster. Nonetheless, vector control operations to kill adult mosquitoes and destroy any potential breeding habitats are ongoing,” MOH said.

In March, a 71-year-old woman who lived in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 died from dengue.

A 74-year-old man, who stayed in Bedok Reservoir Road, died on Feb 3, while a 77-year-old man, who stayed at Hougang Avenue 3, died on Feb 7.

MOH also urged residents and property owners to cooperate fully and allow NEA officers to inspect their premises for mosquito breeding and to spray insecticide to kill any mosquitoes.

“We need to remain vigilant and continue to work as a community to suppress the Aedes mosquito population and keep dengue cases in check. Source eradication of mosquito breeding habitats and spraying of insecticides to control the adult mosquito population remain key to dengue prevention.”

Earlier this month, NEA figures showed that the number of dengue cases recorded in 2019 so far has surpassed the total number of cases in 2018.

As of 3pm on May 30, there have been 4,182 dengue cases in Singapore this year, more than the 3,285 cases reported in 2018 and the 2,772 cases in 2017.

NEA encouraged members of the public to join in the collective effort to help stop dengue by doing the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout.

They can do so by removing stagnant water from the environment to deprive the mosquitoes of their breeding habitats.

"Inverting pails and plant pot plates and changing water in vases regularly are simple steps that everyone can take to prevent mosquitoes from establishing a foothold in our neighbourhoods," NEA said.

The latest updates on the dengue situation can be found on NEA's website, the myENV app or the Stop Dengue Now Facebook page.

Source: CNA/zl(mi/hm)