- vstory
Singapore – The number of dengue cases in Singapore doubled in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2023.
More than 5,000 dengue cases were reported, up from 2,360 cases in the same quarter last year, according to a National Environment Agency (NEA) report.
On March 25, 2024, seven people died from local dengue infections, surpassing the total of six deaths in 2023.
The figures were revealed at the launch of the national dengue prevention campaign on Sunday, which comes ahead of the peak dengue season from May to October.
Ilustrasi Demam Berdarah Dengue (DBD)
- VIVA.co.id/Andrew Tito
"It's alarming that we are seeing an increase in the number of cases this year," NEA Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng, as reported from CNA site.
"We had more than 300 dengue cases per week in this first quarter," Keng added.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito population also remains high, with the number of Aedes mosquito breeding habitats found in residential areas in January doubling compared to January 2023.
According to the latest update on the NEA website, there were 27 dengue clusters that were under the "red" alert level as of March 28, which indicates high-risk areas that have 10 or more cases.
NEA states on its website that there are four serotypes of dengue virus circulating in Singapore. Dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) has dominated since September 2023, replacing the dominance of DENV-1 and DENV-3 that occurred periodically in 2023.
"Our population in Singapore also has low immunity to all four dengue virus serotypes," NEA remarked.
"The presence of all these dengue risk factors may lead to a surge in dengue cases in the coming months, if adequate measures are not taken,"
The NEA further said that dengue outbreaks were prevented last year due to better prevention and control measures. As a result, the number of dengue infections dropped by 69 percent – from 32,173 cases in 2022 to 9,949 cases.
NEA conducted more than 813,000 inspections in 2023, finding more than 19,600 mosquito breeding habitats. More than half were found in housing, 38 percent in public places and 5 percent at construction sites.
NEA said that like last year, working together with stakeholders to increase public awareness and dengue prevention efforts is critical in the fight against dengue.
"The National Dengue Prevention Campaign 2024 emphasizes that dengue prevention is a social responsibility, and will continue to rally the community to still be careful and reduce the risk of dengue infection," it said.
