National Environment Agency (NEA) has announced that there were a slightly hike in numbers on dengue cases this week which saw 86 patients diagnosed.
This weekly figure is 2 cases higher than last week. As of 3 pm on 7 November, it said that another 17 cases were reported.
The total people infected with dengue have reached 12,542 cases. This has exceeded the total cases reported on the whole 2015 with 11,286 cases.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) warned that the number of cases this year might reach more than 30,000 cases, almost double the number of 11,286 cases reported in 2015. This means that this year will be marked as the highest cases report in history, exceeding 22,170 cases reported in 2013, based on the speed of infections in the start of the year.
However, this is unlikely to happen since the number of the cases has declined sharply during the past two months.
Currently, there are 12 active dengue clusters across the island, with two areas classified as high risk. A cluster in Yishun Avenue 4 and Yishun Street 61 has the highest risk with 82 cases reported, two of which were diagnosed in the past fortnight.
On 30 August, an 11-year-old boy who lived in Woodleigh Close passed away due to dengue infection at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH). This has brought the total victims who succumb to dengue fever this year to 8, twice the number recorded in 2015.
The same mosquito vector which transmits dengue also transmits Zika, yellow fever, and Chikungunya. The vector control implemented will also help to prevent Zika and other vector borne diseases from taking roots in the country.
On 4 October, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) had approved the use of dengue vaccines.
According to HSA, two groups of experts from HSA’s Medicines Advisory Committee and Dengue Expert Panel, comprising medical doctors and infectious diseases specialists, were consulted during the review to ensure that the vaccine is relevant and the benefits outweigh the risks for the Singapore population.
Members of the public are encouraged to do the 5-step Mozzie workout.
