Over 10,000 dengue cases so far in 2024, exceeding total number of infections in 2023
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Singapore’s dengue case tally in 2023 stood at 9,949, which was far lower than the 32,173 cases recorded in 2022.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
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SINGAPORE – Dengue case numbers in 2024 have crossed the 10,000 mark, surpassing the number of cases logged for the whole of 2023.
Also, there were 13 reported deaths from local dengue infections in the first half of 2024, according to the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) quarterly dengue surveillance report, published on July 24. This was more than double of the dengue death toll here in 2023, when six deaths were recorded.
NEA said on its website that there were 314 dengue cases between July 14 and July 22, and that took the total number of local infections this year to 10,188.
However, the agency said in its quarterly report that the 4,090 reported dengue cases from April to June is a 20.8 per cent decrease from the previous quarter.
The dengue case tally in 2023 stood at 9,949, which was far lower than the 32,173 cases recorded in 2022.
In March, NEA warned of a surge in dengue infections
NEA at the time said the number could go up in the coming months, given the high Aedes aegypti mosquito population here and the low population immunity to dengue.
As at July 23, Singapore has recorded 70 active dengue clusters. They include 10 red-alert clusters,
It is followed by a cluster in Jurong West with 107 cases and another cluster in the Pioneer area, near Benoi Road, with 49 cases.
NEA said in its quarterly report that it identified 432 clusters from April to June, of which 360 were closed in the same period. The number of clusters identified dropped by about 16 per cent as compared with the previous quarter.
Infectious disease consultant Hsu Li Yang said Singapore is likely to be experiencing a dengue outbreak now, given that the number of cases significantly exceeds the average number of dengue cases detected in a year.
Dr Hsu, who is vice-dean of global health at the National University of Singapore Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, added: “This is still much lower than what we experienced in 2020, which broke the previous record number of cases in 2013.”
The Republic suffered its largest dengue outbreak in 2020, when there were 35,315 cases and 32 deaths. The spike then has been attributed to several factors, including warmer and humid conditions favouring the survival of mosquitoes, as well as people being bitten by dengue-carrying mosquitoes when they worked from home.
Residents, especially those living in dengue cluster areas, can guard against dengue by spraying insecticide in dark corners around the house, applying insect repellent regularly and wearing long-sleeved tops and long pants.
Worldwide, the presence of dengue has markedly increased over the past two decades, according to the World Health Organisation’s assessment in 2023.
Since the start of 2023, the spread of dengue has resulted in nearly a historic high of more than five million cases and more than 5,000 dengue-related deaths reported in more than 80 countries or territories.
