Sharp spike in dengue cases, Aedes mosquito population doubles

Aedes albopictus mosquito that spreads dengue fever. The number of reported dengue cases in the week that ended on Saturday rose to 898, up by 33 per cent from 674 the week before, said the National Environment Agency (NEA). -- PHOTO: NEA
Aedes albopictus mosquito that spreads dengue fever. The number of reported dengue cases in the week that ended on Saturday rose to 898, up by 33 per cent from 674 the week before, said the National Environment Agency (NEA). -- PHOTO: NEA

SINGAPORE - The number of reported dengue cases in the week that ended on Saturday rose to 898, up by 33 per cent from 674 the week before, said the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The NEA'S Gravitrap surveillance system has also shown that the population of adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes has doubled since May this year.

"We are currently at the peak dengue season and expect the cases to rise further," said the NEA. As of Monday, there have been a total of 9,697 reported cases this year.

The NEA noted that DENV-1, the strain of virus that caused last year's epidemic, remains dominant, accounting for almost 90 per cent of infections.

A large proportion of the population is still susceptible to dengue infection due to the lack of immunity to DENV-1, said the NEA.

The agency said that the mosquito population must be reduced urgently.

The NEA, all town councils and other government agencies from the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force will continue to check public areas and housing estates for potential breeding grounds, with a focus on riskier areas like construction sites.

This year, the NEA has issued 476 Notices to Attend Court and 49 Stop Work Orders, and 13 contractors have been prosecuted in court for repeat offences as of Monday.

It said it will pay particular attention to high-risk sites such as those with a poor track record, and those located within clusters showing active transmission.

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