NEA launches dengue prevention campaign early amid rising reported cases

To tackle the sharp increase in weekly reported dengue cases and avert a potential major outbreak, the annual National Dengue Prevention Campaign was launched on Wednesday (Mar 30), ahead of the traditional peak season from June to October.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) announced in a statement on the same day that new purple dengue alert banners will be deployed at areas with persistently high Aedes aegypti mosquito population, so as to alert the public on the greater risk of dengue transmissions there.

At the campaign’s launch, Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Desmond Tan urged the community to search and remove stagnant water in a two-week period that started from Mar 30. 

The effort will cover two mosquito breeding cycles, helping to reduce the mosquito population and thus dengue risk, said NEA.

The statement cited three key contributing factors to the surge in cases – a high mosquito population detected in the community, the circulation of the previously uncommon Dengue virus serotype 3 (DENV-3), and the large proportion of people staying in or working from home.

Many people are still staying in and working from home, which could translate to more biting opportunities for the day-biting Aedes aegypti mosquito, and thus potentially higher risk of dengue transmission, NEA said. 

Expecting a further surge in the number of dengue cases in the coming months, NEA urges residents and premise owners to check its website regularly. In addition, the public can download the myENV mobile app to be alerted on areas with dengue clusters and high mosquito populations.