As of 17 August 2020, there have been 25,053 reported dengue cases this year. 1,341 cases were reported last week, a drop of 327 from the week before. Whilst this is more than 400 cases below the historical peak of 1,792 this year, we are still in the midst of the traditional peak dengue season, and the weekly number of dengue cases remains high. Urgent community action to carry out vector control measures, and individuals taking proactive steps to protect against dengue, are thus critical. As an extension to the call for residents living in dengue cluster areas to take steps to protect themselves, the National Environment Agency (NEA) is working with more partners to distribute mosquito repellent and educational materials to stakeholders in dengue cluster areas.

NEA’s enhanced outreach to schools located in dengue areas of concern

With the surge in dengue cases, high Aedes mosquito population, and more people working from home, NEA is working with the Ministry of Education (MOE) to provide mosquito repellent to schools in larger dengue cluster areas. This is to further protect the young from getting infected with dengue, and also to get their family members used to taking steps to protect themselves against dengue, especially where their schools and residences are located in larger dengue cluster areas. Over 46,000 bottles of mosquito repellent have been distributed to students in selected schools (refer to Annex A for list of schools). To complement this effort, these schools have also procured mosquito repellent for use in the classroom. In addition, all schools have taught their students how to prevent mosquito breeding and have reiterated the three key protective actions against dengue – ‘Spray, Apply, Wear’ or ‘SAW’ in short [1] – to parents through the schools’ network, so that both students and their parents are better equipped to protect themselves and their loved ones. As the situation develops, NEA and MOE will continue to work together to provide mosquito repellent to other schools that are located in large dengue clusters of concern.

As with past years, NEA has also been working closely with MOE to ensure that vector control measures are in place at all schools, and that potential mosquito breeding habitats are detected early and removed. Where the schools or residences are located in dengue cluster areas, parents are strongly advised to ensure that their children have applied mosquito repellent before they leave for school. As repellent needs to be applied regularly for maximum effectiveness, students are also encouraged to bring mosquito repellent to school for reapplication, before they leave school for home.

Dengue cluster situation update

There are 396 dengue clusters reported as of 17 August 2020. With the concerted efforts of NEA and the community and stakeholders, the 170-case cluster at Tampines Avenue 7, 144-case cluster at Potong Pasir Avenue 1, 67-case cluster at Senja Road, 65-case cluster at Marine Drive, 59-case cluster at Jalan Berjaya, 56-case cluster at Woodlands Street 81, , 47-case cluster at Anthony Road, 46-case cluster at Sims Avenue and 45-case cluster at Woodlands Avenue 5, have been closed. Overall, we have closed about 80 per cent, or 1,657 of 2,053, dengue clusters notified, since the start of this year. We have also observed a slower rate of disease transmission at some of the larger dengue clusters, such as the 307-case cluster at Bukit Panjang Ring Road, with an average of less than one case reported per day in the past two weeks.

However, the total number of clusters islandwide remain high. There are still large dengue clusters located at Aljunied Road / Geylang Road / Geylang East Avenue 1 and 2, Arthur Road, Bukit Panjang Ring Road, Arnasalam Chetty Road / Kim Yam Road, and Aljunied Road / Geylang Road / Guillemard Road, where intensive vector control operations are ongoing (refer to Annex B for information on the top five largest dengue clusters). To combat these large dengue clusters, NEA has been working intensively with key stakeholders from various Government agencies in the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force (IADTF), including Town Councils (TCs), on sustained environmental management efforts during this traditional peak dengue period. During our recent inspections, we continued to detect profuse mosquito breeding in common breeding habitats, such as pails, ornamental containers (e.g. vase) and drains, and we will be taking enforcement action against the owners or managing agents of these premises (refer to Annex C for examples of profuse mosquito breeding detected).

NEA continues with stepped-up vector control and community outreach efforts

In addition to ongoing islandwide inspections, NEA has continued with its intensified dengue inspection and outreach efforts, and has conducted more than 552,000 inspections islandwide between January to July this year (refer to Annex D for photos of dengue inspection and outreach). As well as our ongoing efforts with MOE, NEA is working with other partners such as the People’s Association, Early Childhood Development Agency, Ministry of Health / Agency for Integrated Care, Ministry of Manpower and National Parks Board, to distribute mosquito repellent and educational materials to residents in dengue cluster areas. As of 17 August 2020, more than 185,000 bottles of mosquito repellent have been distributed to households in active dengue cluster areas, through house visits. NEA staff and our volunteers have also been deployed every weekend since end-June to engage residents at large dengue cluster areas, reaching out to over 73,000 people. These efforts will continue at other large dengue cluster areas over the upcoming weekends. Engagement efforts have also been supported by mass publicity on TV, print, out-of-home and online platforms, as well as through SMS blasts, to urge residents to protect themselves from the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes and to Do the Mozzie Wipeout regularly.

Every individual has a part to play in breaking dengue transmission

Residents living in dengue cluster areas should do the three protective actions (‘SAW’), to protect themselves and their loved ones against dengue. Such protective measures are important to break the cycle of dengue transmission, by preventing the Aedes mosquito from biting human hosts and spreading the Dengue virus to others in the vicinity. Residents should be particularly more alert during the early morning and late afternoon periods, when the Aedes mosquito tends to be most active. When venturing out, residents should also apply mosquito repellent if they are heading to a dengue cluster area, and bring it along for reapplication if they plan to be out for a long period.

Residents also need to cooperate with NEA officers, and facilitate their checks and indoor misting in their homes. This would help to quickly eradicate mosquito breeding habitats and adult mosquitoes in homes, to break disease transmission. As the Aedes mosquito’s life cycle can be as short as seven days, it is important to Do the Mozzie Wipeout at least once a week.

NEA encourages everyone to use the resources available on our website and myENV app to receive updates on the dengue situation, and to take proactive action to protect themselves and their loved ones. NEA has also developed a ‘Check and Protect’ checklist, highlighting common mosquito breeding habitats, which is available for download at go.gov.sg/dengue-checklist.

Regular updates on the dengue situation can be found on the NEA website, Stop Dengue Now Facebook page, and myENV app. The public can also download the myENV app to get regular alerts on dengue clusters and areas with higher Aedes aegypti mosquito population.