Singapore was one of the first countries to flatten the curve in coronavirus cases during the first wave. Currently facing the second wave of the virus, they are faced with the worst dengue outbreak as well.
Health officials have reported 14,000 dengue cases, counting almost 200 cases daily since mid-June. They believe that this will be the worst outbreak of the virus the country will face, even greater than that last outbreak in 2013 with over 22,170 cases.
During the last week of June 1468 cases were reported, the largest weekly total they have ever recorded. 16 people have already died from the virus in comparison to 26 who died from coronavirus. Moreover, these numbers are expected to rise as the mosquito breeding season occurs between June and October.
A spokesperson from the National Environment Agency (NEA) said, 'With more people staying at home, and the Aedes mosquitoes being day biters and harboring indoors, there would have been more blood meals for the female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and this could have contributed to some of the recent increase in cases.'
Dengue and Coronavirus
Dengue, a tropical disease found in more than 100 countries, is spread by the female Aedes aegypti mosquito. Even with the dengue vaccine available (but only for young people between nine and 16 years old who had already been infected), more than 400 million people every year still get infected.
Although coronavirus is not carried by the Aedes mosquito like dengue, they share a few similarities such as the incubation period of both viruses being between one to two weeks until symptoms show. They both also show flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, high fever, and nausea.
Occasionally, a small percentage of those with dengue fever get severe dengue or dengue hemorrhagic fever. This results in a very weak immune system due to low levels of blood platelets, vomiting blood, severe abdominal pain, and extremely low blood pressure, or dengue shock syndrome.
Excessive bleeding may lead to shock and eventually, death. Dengue's mortality rate is at 1%, quite similar to the 1.5% rate of coronavirus.
Read Also: Singapore May Face the Biggest Dengue Outbreak Ever This Year Surpassing 2013's 22,000 Cases
The Wolbachia Program
Singapore's health authorities have kept track of 334 active dengue clusters within the city. They believe that the spike of cases is due to stagnant water that has not been removed, such as swimming pools, jacuzzis, drains, and basins.
The NEA has planned to upscale their Wolbachia program, or releasing sterile male mosquitos in dengue clusters since the eggs from females will not hatch after mating. They have already successfully reduced a few mosquito populations in Tampines and Yishun 'as Wolbachia releases have suppressed the Aedes aegypti populations in both sites to levels that pose low dengue risk.'
Yet, they might not help alleviate the massive spike of cases now due to the small number of sterile males released. The NEA recently built a new facility that can produce up to five million sterile male mosquitoes a week, which is ten times the previous capacity.
In June, the NEA placed a penalty of $200 if a breeding site is found, or places with stagnant water. It was increased to $300, and they might increase the fine again on July 15 as the number of cases continues to increase.
Read Also: Dengue and Other Mosquito Diseases Are Slowly Making Their Way North
