Singapore : 'Significant increase' in dengue cases, with further rise likely - NEA

Article via Channel News Asia, excerpt :

" The National Environment Agency (NEA) has reported a “significant increase” in the number of dengue cases in Singapore, with the figures likely to rise as the weather heats up.

A total of 676 cases were reported during the week ending June 28, up from 553 the previous week, latest figures on the NEA website showed. Between June 28 and 3.30pm on July 1, there were another 265 reported cases."

Singapore : Sharp rise in number of dengue cases last week

Via Channel News Asia :

" The number of dengue cases has seen a spike in recent weeks, said the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) in a Facebook post on Tuesday (May 27).

The spike comes ahead of the period between June and October, when dengue transmission rates are usually higher. As such, Singaporeans need to continue to protect themselves and help stop the dengue transmission cycle, the ministry said.

In its post, the MEWR said the hotter months of June to October usually see higher transmission of dengue here due to the shortened breeding and maturation cycles for the Aedes mosquitoes and shorter incubation periods for the dengue virus."

Singapore : Woman in her late 50s becomes first dengue death this year

Via Straits Times :

" Singapore has had its first dengue death this year. The victim, a woman who had been transferred from Changi General Hospital to Gleneagles Hospital under an existing agreement between the two, died on Wednesday.

The woman, believed to be in her late 50s, was moved to the private hospital at the end of last year. Her condition deteriorated and she was moved to intensive care. She died of dengue hemorrhagic fever."

Singapore : Slight increase in dengue cases

Via Channel News Asia :

" A total of 415 dengue cases were reported last week, between December 22 and 28.

This is a slight increase from about 372 cases reported the previous week.

A total of 81 cases were reported on Sunday and Monday.

The total number of dengue cases since the beginning of the year so far is 22,094."

Singapore : Dengue still spreading in Orchard Road cluster, 93 people infected so far

Article via Straits Times :

" Dengue is still spreading along Orchard Road and the adjoining areas.

So far, 93 people have been infected in the Orchard Road cluster - making it the second-largest cluster in the country. More than half are workers at a construction site there.

Another 40 people have been infected in adjoining clusters in areas such as Oxley Road, Devonshire Road and Leonie Hill."

Singapore : Hand-foot-and-mouth cases hit weekly high of 1,109

Via Xinhua, excerpt :

" There were 1,109 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) diagnosed during the week from Sept. 22-28 in Singapore, according to the data released by the city- state's Ministry of Health.

The number was the highest this year and was over twice compared with 482 cases at the same time last year. So far, there were 21,060 cases reported until Sept. 28, which was much lower than the 33,650 cases at the same times in the previous year.

The number of the viral infection has been surging during the last four weeks, from 860 cases in the week from Sept. 1-7 to over 1,100 cases at the end of last month."

Singapore : No cause for alarm over H1N1

Via Channel News Asia :

" he Ministry of Health (MOH) has been notified of a cluster of eight kindergarten children with influenza at ACES Montessori Kidz in Downtown East Pasir Ris.

Another 10 children from the kindergarten had influenza-like symptoms. Two children were admitted for observation and discharged two days later.

The other 16 children either self-medicated or received outpatient medical treatment.

The children are currently recovering. MOH has provided advice to the centre on infection control measures.

But there is no evidence to suggest there has been an increase in the virulence of the influenza A (H1N1) virus, said MOH.

The ministry has advised the public not to be alarmed, as influenza is generally a mild illness that results in full recovery.

It recommends that parents consider annual influenza vaccination to protect their children against influenza, particularly for those aged 6 months to 5 years.

While parents are anxious to find out the cause of the strain, doctors are advising them to remain calm."

Singapore : Over 15,000 dengue cases as of September

Via Channel News Asia :

" As of September 7, there have been 15,774 cases of dengue fever this year.

More than 6,600 subsidised dengue NS1 tests have been done as of August 16 this year.

The Health Ministry increased the subsidies for dengue NS1 testing at emergency departments so that patients who are clinically assessed will not pay more than S$10 per test.

This has been in place since June 17 this year.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong shared these figures in a written reply to Member of Parliament, Associate Professor Fatimah Lateef.

He added that this year's dengue epidemic led to an increase in the number of patients treated for dengue or suspected dengue at polyclinics and public hospital compared to the last two years.

Polyclinic attendance for dengue or suspected dengue increased 6.5 times, from an average of 931 cases for the first six months of 2011 and 2012 to 6,065 cases for the first six months of 2013.

There were 6,880 Emergency Department attendances for dengue in the first six months of this year, compared to only 2,523 attendances for the whole of 2012."

Singapore : Dengue cases spike after weeks of decline

Via Channel News Asia :

" The number of weekly dengue cases reported has trended upwards after several weeks of decline.

From August 11 to 17 this year, 378 cases were reported, compared to 256 the previous week.

There have been 14,652 dengue cases reported so far this year.

They included a 52-year-old man, who died on August 13, bringing the local dengue death toll to five this year."

Singapore's 5th dengue death this year

Via Channel News Asia :

" A 52-year-old Chinese man has died of dengue, the fifth local dengue death this year.

The victim lived at Corporation Walk, said a joint statement by the Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency (NEA).

The patient was first seen at Jurong Polyclinic on 29 June this year with a two-day history of fever.

He returned to the polyclinic on 4 July as he was still having fever and was referred by the polyclinic to the National University Hospital (NUH) emergency department.

He was admitted to NUH's Medical Intensive Care Unit on the same day and was diagnosed with Dengue Shock Syndrome.

The patient's condition improved transiently after dialysis and supportive therapy but he remained critically ill with low blood counts.

The patient's condition deteriorated after he developed pneumonia with septic shock on Sunday and he died on Tuesday."

Singapore : Man, 66, is 4th person to die from dengue

Via Asia One :

" The dengue death toll this year rose to four when a 66-year-old died from multi-organ failure caused by the viral disease on Monday, even as the number of weekly infections saw a big drop.

The man was admitted to Alexandra Hospital last Tuesday after a fall, and doctors found that he had been suffering from fever and had rashes the previous four days.

He tested positive for dengue.

The next day, he developed breathing problems and kidney failure, and was transferred to intensive care. But his condition continued to deteriorate, and on Monday, he died from dengue shock syndrome.

The death came as figures showed the number of people being infected by the virus in Singapore taking a dive.

There were 679 new infections last week, the lowest in the past 11/2 months and a big drop from the more than 800 cases weekly reported in the past four weeks.

Despite the number of infections falling for two straight weeks, however, the Health Ministry and the National Environment Agency advised people to continue taking appropriate precautions to prevent mosquito breeding.

They said the key to dengue control is to eliminate all mosquito breeding habitats."

Singapore : Indonesian man treated for dengue dies; likely contracted dengue from overseas

Via Channel News Asia :

" An Indonesian man who was being treated for dengue in Singapore has died.

A joint statement from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said the 68-year-old man had most likely contracted dengue while travelling in Indonesia from June 10 to June 21 this year.

The man developed a fever on June 20 and suffered two days of vomiting and diarrhoea before being admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital's emergency department on June 23.

The patient was diagnosed with dengue, acute renal failure and severe liver inflammation.

He was admitted for treatment and close monitoring.

MOH said his condition deteriorated despite blood transfusions and other supportive treatment.

He died on June 25."

Singapore reports third death from dengue this year

Via Xinhua :

" Singapore has reported the third death from dengue this year amid an epidemic in the city state.

The patient was an 86-year-old man, the Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

The patient sought help at a local hospital on June 22 with a one-day history of fever and was found to have low blood pressure. He was admitted on the same day and subsequently diagnosed to have dengue shock syndrome with kidney failure and liver inflammation.

The patient died on Tuesday afternoon.

The number of dengue cases reported in Singapore continued to rise recently, with a total of 11,217 cases as of Wednesday morning. 

This is far more than what had been reported in the same period time in past years, though news of the epidemic has been out of the spotlight recently as the trans boundary haze resulting from the illegal practice of clearing land by fire for farming made headlines in the region and beyond."

Dengue cases continue to increase in Singapore

Via Xinhua :

" A total of 853 new cases of dengue infections were reported in Singapore last week, the highest weekly number of new dengue cases ever, Minister of Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said on his Facebook page on Monday.

There were 73 new cases of dengue on Monday, bringing the total number of cases so far this year to 11,098, which is far more than what has been reported in the same period time over past years.

However, news of the epidemic has been out of the spotlight recently as the transboundary haze resulting from the illegal practice of clearing land by fire for farming made headlines in the region and beyond.

Balakrishnan there is no basis for the theory that haze would reduce the mosquitoes, and there is a need to focus on both problems simultaneously."

Singapore : Dengue cases remain high, with 656 so far this week

Via Straits Times :

" DENGUE fever cases have remained high this week, with 656 people diagnosed with the disease till 3pm yesterday.

The total for this week is on course to be around those of the previous two, when cases hit 815 in the week beginning June 2 and 810 the week after.

However, it is unlikely that the figure will pass 1,000 cases this week. Experts have predicted that this is likely to happen before the epidemic is over.

The National Environment Agency has quashed talk that the haze could stem the spread of dengue, saying there is no link between the two. In fact, a spokesman said, "although a haze blanketed much of South-east Asia from late 1997 to early 1998, the number of dengue cases in Singapore during these years was the highest recorded in the 1990s".

There are now more than 60 active clusters. The biggest is still at Tampines. There have been more than 190 cases there in one cluster alone."

Singapore : Dengue cases expected to surpass 1,000 a week

Via Asia One :

" The number of dengue infections is rising at a faster rate and is expected to top 1,000 infections a week - possibly as soon as this week.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said this is worrying because Singapore is just entering the dengue season, which usually runs from June to August.

So far this year, 9,544 people have fallen ill and two men have died from the disease."

Singapore : Current dengue virus strain replicates 3 times faster

Via Straits Times, excerpt :

" THE dominant dengue virus strain causing the current epidemic is a "fit and healthy" one which can replicate inside mosquitoes at three times the speed of strains that circulated last year.

Dr Ng Lee Ching, director of the Environment Health Institute, explained that the insects are becoming infectious much faster after getting the virus from a human with the disease, therefore this virus strain carries a higher epidemic potential.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said it does not know if the virus replicates itself as rapidly inside humans, as no tests have been done on this."

Singapore : Fewer cases of severe dengue fever

Via Straits Times, excerpt : 

" Although more dengue cases are being diagnosed, the good news is that only a small number of people have come down with a more severe form of the disease.

As of Monday, 9,429 people had fallen victim to the dengue virus. But only 38, or 0.4 per cent, of them developed the more serious dengue haemorrhagic fever.

This is a marked decline from the 2005 dengue outbreak, which recorded almost 14,000 infections, 2.8 per cent of which were dengue haemorrhagic fever cases."

Singapore : Dengue outbreak in Ang Mo Kio Avenues 5 and 10

Article via Straits Times :

" Two areas in Ang Mo Kio have been hit with a spate of dengue fever.

Since April 12, 53 people living in Ang Mo Kio Avenues 5 and 10 have caught the viral disease. The cases are from 19 housing blocks in the area.

A National Environment Agency (NEA) spokesman said the outbreak was the largest so far this year.
A dengue cluster is formed when there are two or more dengue cases in an area within two weeks."

Singapore : HFMD cases spike to record levels

Via Yahoo News, excerpt :

" More youngsters in Singapore have been afflicted with hand, foot and mouth disease recently as the number of cases has risen beyond the epidemic level for the second time in two years.

The number of new incidents reported to the Ministry of Health (MOH) increased to 993 for the week up to 29 February, above the epidemic threshold and more than that of the previous week.

Last year, the total number of cases in January and February was 1,627, as compared to the sharp spike to 4,449 cases which occurred in same period this year.

Children who have contracted the virus suffer from fever, sore throat, rashes, mouth ulcers, poor appetite, lethargy and small blisters on the palms of their hands, soles of feet, or buttocks.

Pat's Schoolhouse, a childcare center in Serangoon, was forced to close down for ten days on 15 February as a precautionary measure."