Dengue Cases Are Now Unusually High; NEA Urges Us to Do Something During This Circuit Breaker Period

It might be 2020 but the only virus we’re fighting against isn’t just Covid-19.

A long-time enemy has resurfaced and we don’t have superheroes to help defend us against it.

Introducing Mosquito Man

Not to be confused with the man who sounds like a mosquito (Running Man fans would know this):

That’s right, I’m talking about dengue.

Dengue Cases Are Now Unusually High; NEA Urges Us to Do Something During This Circuit Breaker Period

It’s only Apr 2020 but NEA has received 5,974 dengue cases so far.

And if nothing is done about it, the number of cases could exceed 16,000 cases, the total number reported in 2019.

As of 20 Apr 2020, there are 105 active dengue clusters reported currently.

NEA is now seeing a weekly high of 300 to 400 reports weekly and says it’s “unusually” high outside the dengue peak season, which is May to September.

If this carries on, they warned, we can see a higher momentum of dengue cases as the months turn warmer.

Five people have already died to dengue, NEA has said previously.

They were all between the age of 60 and 80 years old and lived, or worked within, active dengue clusters.

Do Your Part During Circuit Breaker Period

Because most people are now working from home, they are urging all homeowners and occupants to pay more attention to their surroundings.

Take the necessary steps to prevent or remove mosquito breeding grounds and mosquitoes from your premises.

Over the past three years, NEA has detected a 50% increase in Aedes mosquito larval breeding found in homes.

Check for any clean and stagnant water as mosquitoes can breed even in water the size of a 20-cent coin.

One way to find out is to monitor how frequently everyone is bitten at home.

The female Aedes mosquito, they revealed, usually reside in homes and will come out to bite during the daytime.

Increased Efforts, Vector Controls At Workplaces

Another area NEA is focusing on in their efforts against Dengue are the workplaces.

They say that owners of premises and worksites must make sure that there is enough vector control measures at the places they’re responsible for, including construction sites.

They have issued advisories to the Singapore Contractors’ Association Ltd on 3 Apr to remind operators to ensure proper upkeep of their sites.

“All stakeholders, including residents, contractors, and business owners, have a part to play in preventing dengue.”

NEA has also said that they are “working closely” with other agencies to remove potential mosquito breeding grounds at public areas and housing estates.

DenV-3 

In case you’ve missed the memo, there’s one more thing weighing on NEA’s mind, and that’s DenV-3.

While DenV-2 is the predominant strain, they’ve been seeing an increase in the number of DenV-3 cases.

DenV-3 Virus hasn’t been detected in Singapore in the past three decades. Most of the dengue outbreaks in Singapore are caused by two strains, DENV-1 and DENV-2, with the latter being the more dominant strain since way back in 2016.

And because most Singaporeans haven’t been infected by the DenV-3 before, the population immunity for DenV-3 is extremely low.

TL; DR? Do the mozzie wipeout and check your house since you’re home most of the time now.