War on dengue must continue even amid Covid-19 fight: Masagos

As of Sunday, more than 4,000 people here have been infected with dengue fever, double the number of cases reported for the same period last year. The strain of dengue threatening Singapore today, DenV-3, is one that many here do not have immunity ag
As of Sunday, more than 4,000 people here have been infected with dengue fever, double the number of cases reported for the same period last year. The strain of dengue threatening Singapore today, DenV-3, is one that many here do not have immunity against, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

While the Republic continues to ramp up its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, it cannot drop its guard against its old foe, dengue, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said yesterday at a panel discussion organised by The Straits Times on combating the spread of Covid-19 here.

As of Sunday, more than 4,000 people here have been infected with dengue fever, double the number of cases reported for the same period last year.

Worse, said Mr Masagos, the strain of dengue threatening Singapore today, DenV-3, is one that many here do not have immunity against.

There are four dengue serotypes, with DenV-1 and DenV-2 being behind the outbreaks here.

DenV-2 has been the dominant strain since 2016.

Mr Masagos warned: "The last time we had the DenV-3 outbreak was 30 years ago, which means that there is a generation of us who do not have the antibodies or the immunity against (it)... it is certainly something to cause alarm."

He added: "We hope that as much as we are worried about Covid-19, we must not lose sight of ensuring that... we do not become lax.

"Yes, we start washing our hands - it is fantastic, we don't leave tissues on the table, but please continue to do the things that we have always been doing year after year to bring down and to keep suppressing the breeding of mosquitoes, because that is the only and best defence against dengue transmission."

In response to the grim dengue outlook here, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has brought forward the launch of its annual dengue prevention campaign, which typically begins in April or May, to Sunday.

Also on yesterday's panel were Professor Wang Linfa, director of the emerging infectious diseases programme at Duke-NUS Medical School; Mr Edward D'Silva, chairman of the Public Hygiene Council; and Mr Tai Ji Choong, director of NEA's Department of Public Cleanliness.

Prof Wang said that those who had previously been exposed to the DenV-1 and DenV-2 strains of dengue are at higher risk of get-ting a more severe infection from the DenV-3 strain due to a phenomenon known as antibody dependent enhancement.

This occurs when antibodies that are already present in a person from a previous dengue infection bind to a new infectious dengue particle, but instead of neutralising the virus, they help it infect the patient more efficiently.

And while there is as yet no scientific evidence linking dengue and Covid-19, it is possible that a dengue infection may weaken a person's immune system and make one more susceptible to Covid-19, said Prof Wang.

"You just want to keep healthy and avoid any infection, whether it is dengue or Covid-19... these are two different viruses and two different approaches. But the principle is the same, it is every citizen's responsibility," he said.

Mr Masagos said: "The point is we don't want to have two crises to fight."

He added: "For us in Singapore, dengue is here to stay. Covid-19 is here, but will hopefully go away. We must therefore not lose sight of something which is also as dangerous, and will also cause losses."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 24, 2020, with the headline War on dengue must continue even amid Covid-19 fight: Masagos. Subscribe