S’pore in Emergency Phase for Dengue As Cases Have Spiked & it’s Not the Dengue Season Yet

The COVID-19 situation in Singapore might’ve calmed down but there’s another nasty virus still going strong here: Dengue.

And right now, we’re in the red when it comes to this virus.

Number of Dengue Cases in Singapore More Than Whole Of 2022

As of 13 May 2022, the National Environment Agency (NEA) reported 280 active dengue clusters in Singapore; of which 65 are designated as “high-risk” areas (23%).

On 28 Apr 2022, it was reported that the number of dengue cases in Singapore has passed the 6,000 mark, far surpassing the 5,258 cases reported for the whole of last year.

And now, within two weeks, the number of cases has increased significantly to cross the 8,000 cases mark.

In other words, the number of Dengue cases in the first five months of 2022 has surpassed the entire year of 2021.

S’pore in Emergency Phase for Dengue As Cases Have Spiked & it’s Not the Dengue Season Yet

This is something worrying, Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Desmond Tan pointed out.

After all, it’s not Dengue Season yet, which usually takes place between June and October of each year.

“We are seeing a steep increase in the number of cases by the week… it’s an emergency phase now that we need to deal with to prevent further increase in the incidence of dengue cases.”

According to the NEA, the number of new Dengue cases reported this week was 1,055.

60% of Aedes Breeding Are From Homes in Dengue Clusters

NEA has stepped up inspections as well; from January to April 2022, it has conducted about 243,000 inspections islandwide.

This figure includes 1,900 inspections at construction sites.

So far, NEA managed to uncover 71,000 mosquito breeding habitats.

However, one finding worth noting is that, in Dengue clusters, 60% of the mosquito breeding habitats are from homes.

Due To Warm, Rainy & Humid Weather

According to the NEA, the spike in Dengue cases can is partially caused by a high Aedes mosquito population.

This could have come about due to Singapore’s recent warm, rainy and humid weather.

It was added that many people in Singapore are also staying in and working from home.

Tips To Fight Dengue:

Here are some tips NEA has to help fight Dengue:

• break up hardened soil
• lift and empty flowerpot plates
• overturn pails and wipe their rims dry
• change water in vases
• keep roof gutters clean and place BTI insecticide inside

For those in active dengue clusters, you can:

• spray insecticide in dark corners around your home
• apply insect repellent regularly

If you haven’t been doing it for a while now, you can do the 5-step mozzie wipeout:

Read Also:

• The Number of Dengue Cases This Year Has Already Exceeded the Total Number of Cases Last Year
• Health Minister Ong Ye Kung Contracted Dengue Fever
• Police Warns of a Fake Windows Update That Locks Up Victims’ Data

Feature Image: Dr David Sing / Shutterstock.com / Screengrab from NEA website