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SINGAPORE – The number of dengue cases has increased in the last four weeks, with 455 cases reported in the first two weeks of January.
This is three times the number reported in the same two-week period in January of last year, said Minister of State Amy Khor, Minister of Environment and Water Resources, on Saturday, January 19 .
During the past year, dengue cases have also increased. Last year, 3,285 incidents occurred, nearly 20% more than in 2017.
In an article on Facebook, Dr Khor said higher temperatures and precipitation patterns driven by climate change could encourage mosquito breeding and worsen the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.
Noting that many will decorate their homes with ornamental plants during the Chinese New Year, while others might get rid of big furniture or household items, Dr. Khor said such activities could "entail inadvertently the presence of stagnant water and create more breeding grounds for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes ".
She called for vigilance and community action, encouraging residents to eliminate stagnant water and prevent mosquito breeding.
There has been an increase in the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes detected in the community, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) earlier this month.
NEA's Gravitrap monitoring system detected about 40% more Aedes aegypti mosquitoes last December, compared to the same month in 2017.
Gravitraps are traps that catch these mosquitoes and collect data about them.
"If nothing has been done, the high population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes could lead to an upsurge of dengue cases in 2019," added NEA.
According to the NEA, as of January 14, there were 54 active clusters of dengue fever. The most important was found in Bedok Reservoir Road and Kaki Bukit Avenue 1.
He added that dengue prevention involves eradicating mosquito breeding habitats and spraying insecticides to control the adult mosquito population.
Some precautionary actions include overturning buckets, flipping potplates, loosening hardened soil and clearing gutters, where the insecticide must also be placed.
People infected with dengue should also apply an insect repellent to prevent mosquitoes from attacking and catching the virus, the agency added.
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