Singapore: Nearly 4000 dengue cases reported as of late-May /update 3

Event

Singaporean health officials reported nearly 4000 cases of dengue fever, as well as three associated deaths, as of late May 2019, approximately 30 percent more cases than were recorded through all of 2018. The National Environment Agency (NEA) confirmed 3918 cases, including 156 reported from Sunday, May 26, to Tuesday, May 28. There are currently 72 active clusters of dengue with the largest in Woodlands, Geylang, and Bedok. The number of cases is expected to continue to rise in the coming weeks and months.

Context

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease primarily found in urban and semi-urban environments. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, nausea, and rash. The potentially fatal hemorrhagic fever (DHF) may develop and result in internal bleeding.

Advice

Individuals present in Singapore are advised to take measures to protect themselves from mosquito bites (e.g. by wearing covering clothing, using insect repellent, and sleeping in a screened-in or air-conditioned room) and to eliminate possible mosquito breeding grounds on their properties (e.g. small pockets of fresh water, such as rainwater that has collected in cans, bottles, tires, flower pots, clogged gutters, etc.).