Spike in rate of dengue infections
SINGAPORE – Dengue infections are occurring at their highest rate since the start of the year, with 317 people falling sick last week.
The toll was the largest in a seven-day period since January.
And by 3pm on Monday, another 76 patients had been infected, with the epidemic showing no sign of abating.
At least 3,535 people have contracted the mosquito-borne disease since January, compared to 4,632 in the whole of last year.
The vast majority who caught dengue this year were infected in the eastern part of the country.
More than 170 people have fallen sick in Tampines alone.
This area is home to more than eight clusters – defined as two infections within 150m of each other and occurring within two weeks. The biggest has 96 people down with the disease – including 33 residents of Block 267, Tampines Street 21.
Historically, as the weather gets warmer towards the middle of the year, rates of dengue also rise, as the heat makes the female Aedes mosquito reproduce faster.
Female mosquitoes need to drink blood before they can lay eggs. If they bite someone who is still infectious, the virus can be passed on to the next human they feed from. The dengue virus can remain in the blood of an infected person for up to two weeks, although it generally disappears within six days. This is why those with the illness still need to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
The rising numbers this month could be due to a possible change in the dominant dengue strain. There are four types of dengue virus, with Den-2 the most active here since 2007. But preliminary figures for this month show that Den-1 is in the ascendancy, causing 51 per cent of all infections.
There is no cure for dengue. Doctors can merely treat the symptoms. With the virus endemic in Singapore, they have fine-tuned their treatment so patients do not have to be hospitalised unless they are seriously ill.
Symptoms include high fever, severe headaches, vomiting and a rash. In more serious cases, patients might bleed from the nose or gums and bruise easily.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday urged people to take responsibility for minimising the risk of dengue. Speaking at a forum on building a more socially gracious and sustainable Singapore, he said: “I don’t want you to be afraid of a fine, I want you to be afraid of dengue and the impact it can have on your life and those of your loved ones.”
Source: The Straits Times
Category: Community
