A fresh case of death from dengue fever has been reported in Singapore.
A 73-year-old Singaporean woman from Poh Huat Road West in Hougang died while being treated at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
She is the fourth person to die from the mosquito borne disease in Singapore this year so far. At the beginning of the year, Singapore health authorities had said that the outlook for the spread of dengue fever this year was worrisome.
"In view of the warmer-than-usual weather persisting, the number of dengue cases in 2016 is expected to be high, with cases spiking earlier than in previous years. There is an urgent need to keep the mosquito population under control," the NEA had said.
"NEA has conducted multiple rounds of inspections in residential premises and outdoor areas including common areas in the estate," MOH and NEA said. "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," the NEA said in a statement.
The agency said the rise in dengue cases can be checked by active mosquito control programmes. "With the threat of Zika virus present, it is even more critical to reduce the mosquito population by removing the source of mosquito breeding," the statement said.
