SINGAPORE - A 53-year-old woman died of dengue fever on Monday at the National University Hospital (NUH).
The Chinese national lived in West Coast Road, which is the site of an active seven-case dengue cluster.
She was admitted to NUH on Monday and died the same day when her condition deteriorated. She is the first person to die of the mosquito-borne disease this year. Five people died in 2014.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) has detected six mosquito breeding grounds in the cluster through its inspections so far and is carrying out vector control operations to kill adult mosquitoes and destroy any potential breeding habitats.
Residents in the area are urged to cooperate fully and allow NEA officers to inspect their premises for mosquito breeding and to spray insecticide to kill any infective mosquitoes.
Though the number of dengue cases has dipped over the past three weeks, the NEA and the Ministry of Health (MOH) emphasised the need for people to remain vigilant as a large proportion of the population is still susceptible to dengue infection.
There were 100 reported cases in the week ending Feb 21, down from 172 in the week before.
"We urge everyone to continue maintaining vigilance and prevent mosquito breeding," NEA and MOH said in their joint statement on Tuesday.
All households are reminded to remove stagnant water from their environment, so as to deprive the mosquitoes of their breeding habitats.
This includes inverting pails and plant pot plates, changing water in vases regularly, and capping bamboo pole holders when they are not in use.
