Dengue fever in SE Asia
There seems to be a decline of dengue fever in SE Asia, except Singapore and Vietnam as reported from Jan to June in 2021 as compared to 2020.
What cause the decline in segue fever?
Why do you think there is an increase in the report of dengue fever in Vietnam and Singapore?
How can we manage the spread of Dengue Fever?
Since 2016, NEA has been conducting phased field studies to evaluate the use of male Wolbachia-Aedes mosquitoes to suppress the urban Aedes aegypti mosquito – the primary vector of dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses in Singapore.
How does COVID-19 contribute to higher number of Dengue cases?
Dengue cases remain high in Singapore as high as 2700 reported in 2021.
The NEA expects an increasing number of dengue cases due to the accelerated breeding cycle and maturation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito vectors - meaning it takes less time for the mosquito to become a biting adult in warmer months - as well as the shorter incubation period of the dengue virus, which is the time needed for the mosquito to pick up the disease and pass it on. This period is around 8 to 12 days when the temperature is 25 to 28 deg C.
Since the Covid-19 phase two (heightened alert) measures kicked in on May 16, the NEA said that more people staying in and working from home could mean more " biting opportunities" for the day-biting Aedes aegypti mosquito, and potentially higher risk of dengue transmission.
Watch the video below on how the spread of dengue fever is managed in Singapore, especially in 2020 when reported case was high.
