73-year-old woman is fourth to die from dengue this year

SINGAPORE — A 73-year-old woman has died from dengue, making her the fourth reported fatality here this year.

The Singaporean woman lived at Poh Huat Road West — which is near Yio Chu Kang Road — in an area located within an active four case dengue cluster, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) in a joint press release on Thursday (March 24).

The woman was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) on Tuesday and died on Thursday after her condition deteriorated.

The authorities said that vector control operations to kill adult mosquitoes and destroy any potential breeding habitats in the area where the woman lived have been ongoing since the notification of the cluster on March 11.

“MOH and NEA wish to express our deepest condolences to the family of the patient,” said the joint release.

The authorities urged the public to remain vigilant against dengue cases.

“The number of weekly reported dengue cases is still high for this time of the year, and the majority of mosquito breeding is still being found in homes, such as in domestic containers, flower pot plates and trays. With the threat of Zika virus present, it is even more critical to reduce the mosquito population by removing the source of mosquito breeding,” said the MOH and NEA.

“If we can bring down the mosquito population, we will not only mitigate the dengue situation but at the same time, prevent the spread of Zika virus if it reaches Singapore.”