A 73-year-old woman who lived in Serangoon Gardens died of dengue fever yesterday.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said that the woman had been admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on Tuesday, where her condition deteriorated.

She is the fourth person reported to have died from the mosquito- borne disease this year.

The authorities said her home in Poh Huat Road West is located in an active dengue cluster, where four cases have been reported.

Vector control operations to kill mosquitoes and destroy any potential breeding grounds have been carried out there since the authorities were notified on March 11.

The NEA has also conducted inspections of residential premises and outdoor areas in the estate.

Both MOH and NEA expressed their condolences to the woman's family.

They urged the public to "cooperate fully and allow NEA officers to inspect their premises for mosquito breeding, and to spray insecticides to kill any infective mosquitoes".

The number of dengue cases fell by 23 to 374 last week, though the authorities say the number of cases remains high for this time of the year.

Most mosquito breeding occurs in homes, such as in domestic containers and flower pot trays.

On March 11, a 63-year-old woman from Bedok North died from the dengue virus.

The other two casualties this year were a 67-year-old man who lived in Toa Payoh, and a 47- year-old man from Marsiling Rise.