NEA Urges Continued Vigilance for Dengue Cluster at Jurong West Street 91/92

1.     NEA urges members of the community to complement its stepped up vector control operations and outreach efforts at the largest dengue cluster thus far in 2018 

    Singapore, 5 May 2018 – 60 dengue cases have been reported in the largest dengue cluster thus far in 2018, at Jurong West St 91 (Block 933, 940, 943, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949, 950, 952)/ Jurong West St 92 (Block 920, 928). All of the cases are residents in the area.

2.    As of 4 May 2018, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) have been notified of three dengue-related deaths associated with this cluster:

• 68-year-old Singaporean female who passed away on 13 April 2018 whilst overseas;

• 41-year-old Singaporean male who was admitted to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH) on 29 April 2018. His condition deteriorated and he passed away on 3 May 2018; and

• 63-year-old Singaporean female who was admitted to NTFGH on 1 May 2018. Her condition deteriorated and she passed away on 3 May 2018.

3.    MOH and NEA wish to express our deepest condolences to the families of the deceased. We are currently investigating the factors that may have contributed to the severe cases in the cluster.   

Vector control measures

4.    Since the cluster was notified on 3 April 2018, NEA has deployed 80 officers to check for and destroy mosquito breeding in the area. Multiple rounds of checks have been carried out, both in the day and in the evenings when residents are back from work, as well as on weekends. As at 3 May 2018, a total of 117 breeding habitats were detected. 82 of these were found in residential premises, in common habitats such as flower bowls, flower vases, fountain, pails, and dish drying trays, some with very high larvae count of up to 200 larvae.  Another 35 were found in common areas / other premises such as ground puddles, gully traps and scupper drains. There were no construction-related mosquito breeding found in this area. NEA has also conducted spraying of insecticides in the common corridors and in residents’ homes to kill any infected adult mosquitoes that may be propagating the transmission.

5.    Dengue cluster alert banners and posters have been put up around the estate and in the lift lobbies, to heighten awareness of both residents, as well as members of the public. NEA is also working with members of the community from Jurong West St 91 to conduct house visits to create awareness and to remind residents to practise the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout, to see a doctor if they have a fever, and to take precautions to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. Educational pamphlets and insect repellents have been distributed to the residents during the visits.

6.    NEA officers have stepped up our inspections and outreach efforts in the area, in view of the ongoing transmission, with 60 more officers brought in to augment ongoing efforts. Residents are also encouraged to allow NEA officers to carry out indoor spraying of their homes to kill infected mosquitoes. To complement NEA’s efforts, NEA urges all residents and stakeholders to play their part to help stem the dengue transmission in the area, including applying insect repellent when carrying out outdoor activities and spraying of insecticides in dark corners within the household to kill adult mosquitoes.

7.    Those showing symptoms[1] suggestive of dengue should see a medical practitioner early to be diagnosed and managed accordingly. Early diagnosis can facilitate better case management, and persons with dengue can also help prevent further transmission by applying repellent regularly so that mosquitoes do not bite and pick up the virus from them.

8.    Though the overall number of dengue cases nation-wide remain low, 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 localised transmissions could still occur. As the same mosquito vector that transmits dengue also transmits Zika, yellow fever and chikungunya, the preventive measures implemented will also help to prevent other vector-borne diseases from taking root in Singapore.

9.    Source eradication of mosquito breeding habitats remains key to dengue prevention. NEA encourages everyone to join in the collective effort to help reduce dengue transmission in our immediate neighborhoods 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 and help keep the mosquito population low.

10.    The latest updates on the dengue situation can be found on the NEA’s website, www.nea.gov.sg, Stop Dengue Now Facebook page, or the myENV app.

[1] These symptoms include (i) sudden onset of fever for two to seven days, (ii) severe headache with retro-orbital (behind the eye) pain, (iii) joint and muscle pain, (iv) skin rashes (v) nausea and vomiting, and (vi) bleeding from the nose or gums or easy bruising in the skin.