SINGAPORE - A 79-year-old Singaporean man has died of dengue fever at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

In a joint release on Thursday night (Aug 4), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said that the man was admitted on July 30 and died on Thursday after his condition deteriorated.

The man is the seventh reported victim of dengue this year. A 72-year-old woman who lived in Simei and died on June 25 was the last reported case.

The man lived at Eastwood Drive, an active dengue cluster off Bedok Road.

Operations to kill adult mosquitoes and destroy potential breeding sites in the area have been ongoing since the notification of the cluster on July 13, the release said.

"NEA has conducted multiple rounds of inspections in residential premises and outdoor areas including common areas in the estate."

Singapore could be facing another surge in infections after the NEA reported rising numbers of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the disease. The number of dengue cases this year crossed the 10,000 mark at the start of August.

In the latest release, the NEA and MOH said: "As we are in the traditional peak dengue season, we are anticipating an upward trend in the number of dengue cases in the coming months."

It added that Gravitrap data has shown a steady increase in the Aedes mosquito population.