An elderly Singaporean has died from dengue, raising the toll from the mosquito-borne disease to two in the country so far this year.
The 67-year-old victim lived at Toa Payoh Lorong 4, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a joint statement.
The patient, who was being treated at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, died on Wednesday. The locality he lived in was not known to be one of those "active dengue clusters".
The number of dengue cases in Singapore is steadily increasing, with a warmer than usual weather aiding the breeding and maturation cycles of the Aedes mosquito population.
"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," the agencies said in the statement.
In January, a 47-year-old man from Marsiling Road had died of the mosquito-borne disease.
The NEA had given a grim view of the dengue scenario at the start of the year. "In view of the warmer-than-usual weather persisting, the number of dengue cases in 2016 is expected to be high, with cases spiking earlier than in previous years. There is an urgent need to keep the mosquito population under control," the agency had said.
Singapore Dengue crisis -- Everything to Know
According to Singapore's ministry of health, four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV1-4) are circulating in the world. Dengue fever is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito (Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus). It is not a contagious disease. Dengue carrying mosquitoes thrive in clean, stagnant waters. Dengue Fever usually develops within 4 to 7 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito.
Symptoms:
Sudden onset of fever for 2 to 7 days
Severe headache with retro-orbital (behind the eye) pain
Joint and muscle pain
Skin rashes
Nausea and vomiting
Bleeding from the nose or gums or easy bruising in the skinTreatment
First of all, there is no vaccine currently available to prevent dengue. And there is no specific treatment as such. Dengue treatment is basically supportive and does not usually require hospitalisation except in cases of rare emergency.
In severe cases, fluid treatment, electrolyte replacement or blood transfusions are done to save lives.
For information on the latest dengue situation in Singapore, click here
MOH Hotline: 1800-225 4122
NEA Dengue Hotline: 1800-9-336483 (1800-X-Dengue) or 1800-333-7777
