Seventy-nine-year-old man passes away from dengue (29 NOV 2015)

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

2.        The patient was a 79-year-old Chinese Singaporean man who was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital on 25 November 2015. His condition deteriorated and he passed away on 28 November 2015.

3.        The patient’s residence at Toa Payoh Lorong 8 is not an active dengue cluster. Nonetheless, vector control operations to kill adult mosquitoes and destroy any potential breeding habitats are ongoing. 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 El Niño phenomenon that we are experiencing this year could result in a slightly warmer than usual year-end season. The warmer conditions support faster breeding and maturation cycles of the Aedes mosquitoes and shortened incubation periods for the dengue virus. We need to continue to work as a community 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. All stakeholders must therefore continue to sustain efforts in view of the challenging situation ahead.

5.        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. Those infected with dengue should also apply repellent as regularly as possible to prevent mosquitoes from biting and picking up the virus from them, and those showing symptoms suggestive of dengue, should see their GPs early to be diagnosed. Those planning to go overseas for vacation during the current school holidays should also mosquito-proof their homes before they travel.

6.        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.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AGENCY

29 NOVEMBER 2015

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