628 cases of dengue reported last week: NEA

SINGAPORE — There were 628 cases of dengue reported between Jan 10 and 16, 82 more than the week before, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on its website.

Last Tuesday (Jan 12), the NEA warned that dengue figures were likely to rise as the weather heats up. Last week's figures were higher than any week reported in 2015, according to NEA data.

This week, starting Jan 17, there has already been 193 dengue cases reported as of 3.30pm yesterday (Jan 19).

The proportion of dengue cases due to the DENV-2 serotype, a common type of dengue virus here, has also risen sharply and now accounts for two-thirds of all dengue cases here, up from about half of all cases just a month ago, the agency said in an advisory. The DENV-1 serotype has accounted for most cases here since March 2013.

The NEA continued to urge Singaporeans to play their part to stem dengue transmission by checking their premises daily for potential mosquito breeding habitats. Those infected with dengue are also advised to 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.

The highest number of dengue cases ever reported in a week was back in 2014, with 891 cases reported between June 29 and July 5.