Eleven-Year-Old Male Passes Away from Dengue

1.      The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) have been notified of the death of a dengue patient at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH). MOH and NEA wish to express our deepest condolences to the family of the patient. 

2.     The patient was an 11-year-old Singaporean male who stayed at Woodleigh Close. He was admitted to KKH on 30 August 2016 and passed away on the same day. He was made a Coroner’s case and MOH was informed of the cause of death in the pathologist’s report on 11 October 2016. 

3.     The patient’s residence at Woodleigh Close was an active 2-case dengue cluster, which was notified on 6 September 2016. No breeding was detected there. The cluster has since closed on 14 September 2016. NEA will continue with routine surveillance to check for and destroy any potential breeding habitats. 

4.     We need to remain vigilant and continue to work as a community to suppress the Aedes mosquito population and keep dengue cases in check. As the same mosquito vector which transmits dengue also transmits Zika, yellow fever and chikungunya, the preventive measures implemented will also help to prevent Zika and other vector-borne diseases from taking root in Singapore. 

5.     Source eradication of mosquito breeding habitats and spraying of insecticides to control the adult mosquito population remain key to dengue prevention. NEA encourages everyone to join in the collective effort to help stop the dengue transmission cycle by doing the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout. All stakeholders need to remove stagnant water from our environment, so as to deprive the mosquitoes of their breeding habitats. Inverting pails and plant pot plates and changing water in vases regularly are simple steps that everyone can take to prevent mosquitoes from establishing a foothold in our neighbourhoods. 

6.     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. Persons infected with dengue should protect themselves from mosquito bites by applying repellent regularly, and those showing symptoms suggestive of dengue should see their General Practitioners early to be diagnosed.