SINGAPORE - A 47-year-old Singaporean man is the first person to succumb to the dengue virus in 2016.

Four people died from dengue last year.

In a joint press release on Sunday (Jan 24), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) said they were notified of his death at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital on Friday.

He was admitted to the hospital on Thursday but his condition deteriorated.

"MOH and NEA wish to express our deepest condolences to the family of the patient," said the release.

The man had been staying at Marsiling Rise, an area located within an active 10-case dengue cluster, according to NEA.

The agency had been inspecting the premises in the area and had detected and destroyed six counts of mosquito breeding thus far. Five were found in residential premises and one in common areas.

Vector control operations to kill adult mosquitoes and destroy any potential breeding habitats have been ongoing since the notification of the cluster on Jan 5, NEA added.

Residents 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.

Dengue cases have been on the rise since the turn of the year. In the week of Jan 10 to Jan 16, 628 cases were reported - the highest weekly figure in over a year.

The El Nino phenomenon, which has contributed to warmer weather, and a change in the main circulating virus have been cited as key factors in the spike.

NEA also warned that it was seeing a further increase in the Aedes mosquito population, with the number of dengue cases in 2016 expected to be high.

The latest updates on the dengue situation can be found at the Stop Dengue Now Facebook page, www.dengue.gov.sg or the myENV app.