SINGAPORE — A 60-year-old man has become the second person to die of dengue this year as the current epidemic shows no sign of abating, hitting 9,139 cases despite efforts to stop the virus from spreading.

The man lived at Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, an area which has not been identified as a “dengue cluster”. According to the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA), he had gone to the emergency department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) on June 5 with a fever, shortness of breath, vomiting and a rash on his left leg.

As was the case with the first fatality last month, the man was not diagnosed with dengue during his first visit. He was diagnosed with an inflammation on the left leg and prescribed antibiotics, and an appointment for a repeat blood test was made at a polyclinic. Two days later, the man returned to TTSH as he had difficulty standing due to weakness in the affected leg, as well as fever and a loss in appetite. He was admitted and diagnosed with dengue on Saturday.

Soon after, his condition worsened and he was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit on the same day. He succumbed to the virus yesterday.

When contacted, TTSH confirmed the man had dengue and died from multi-organ failure and complications associated with abnormal heart rhythm. He also had other “acute and pre-existing” medical conditions, including sepsis, diabetes mellitus and hypertension. “The hospital expresses its condolences to the patient’s family and seeks privacy for the family to grieve,” it said in a statement.

Efforts to educate the public on dengue have intensified since April, when the authorities warned that the number of dengue cases could breach 1,000 cases a week even before peak transmission season. The NEA has also stepped up on enforcement, and the Sembawang-Nee Soon Town Council was fined S$200 last week for mosquito breeding.

Last month, Ang Yong Han, 20, died of dengue shock syndrome at TTSH. He was initially diagnosed with viral fever and the hospital discharged him after his condition was reported to be stable. However, he was admitted to the hospital a few days later as a dengue case. His condition deteriorated despite medical intervention, and he died on May 29.

Following his death, his family had questioned why Ang had not been warded when he first went to TTSH. Then hospital had said the doctor attending to Ang had diagnosed him with viral fever “but did not rule out the possibility of dengue”, and a full blood count had been done.

Members of Parliament (MPs) for Ang Mo Kio GRC were out yesterday evening after the news broke speaking to residents. As of press time, they said they were unsure of the victim’s identity, noting that there were potentially four MPs who could be in charge of the area where the victim lived.

Mr Inderjit Singh, one of the constituency’s MPs, said: “The incident shows that the virus is spreading quickly and that breeding could happen anywhere.”

Mr Seng Han Thong felt that the awareness in his ward is high and said the incident was “unfortunate”. He shared that NEA officers, along with grassroot leaders, have been doing door-to-door visits to engage residents.

Asked whether he was concerned that both fatalities were not diagnosed as dengue cases during their first visits, Mr Seng said he “trusts that the hospitals are experts on the matter”, adding that perhaps the authorities needed to create more awareness on dengue symptoms.

Both MPs also said they would render assistance to the victim’s family if necessary.

In their joint statement, the NEA and MOH said the authorities have stepped up its vector control operations to destroy any potential breeding sites at the vicinity of the case.

During the last epidemic in 2005, more than 14,000 people were infected and 25 died.