Sixty-Year-Old Woman Passes Away From Dengue

           The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) have been notified of the death of a dengue patient at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH). MOH and NEA wish to express our deepest condolences to the family of the patient.

2.         The patient was a 60-year-old female Indian national who arrived in Singapore on 17 September 2015 to visit her son staying at Block 444 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10. She was admitted to TTSH on 23 September 2015. Her condition deteriorated and she passed away on 26 September 2015.

3.         Although it is unclear whether the patient had caught the infection here or in her home country, NEA has stepped up its inspections of the premises in the vicinity of Block 444 Ang Mo Kio Ave 10. Prior to the notification of her case, there were only two other recent dengue cases in the area, one at Block 438 and the other at Block 441. NEA had been inspecting the premises in the area, and detected 11 counts of mosquito breeding thus far, of which the majority were found in residential premises. Vector control operations to kill adult mosquitoes and destroy any potential breeding habitats have been ongoing since the cluster was notified on 15 September 2015. 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.

4.         The warmer months of June to October are when there is usually higher transmission of dengue in Singapore due to accelerated breeding and maturation cycles for the Aedes mosquitoes and shorter incubation periods for the dengue virus. We need to remain vigilant and continue to keep dengue cases in check as a large proportion of our population is still susceptible to dengue infection due to the lack of immunity. We urge everyone to continue maintaining vigilance and prevent mosquito breeding 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, changing water in vases regularly, and capping bamboo pole holders when they are not in use are simple steps that everyone can take to prevent mosquitoes from establishing a foothold in our neighbourhoods.

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

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

27 SEPTEMBER 2015