Singapore battles record dengue outbreak

Singapore is experiencing a record outbreak of the tropical disease dengue, which is carried and spread to humans by infected mosquitoes.

The Southeast Asian Island – home to 5.7 million people – has recorded more than 26,000 cases of Dengue so far this year, surpassing the previous annual record of 22,000 in 2013. Some 20 people have died from the virus, which can cause extreme fever that leads to internal bleeding and shock.

By comparison, 27 people have died of Covid-19 in the city-state, while 56,000 infections have been recorded.

Environment officials are using specially bred mosquitoes to carry a bacteria that prevents eggs from hatching and compete with the wild type to gradually reduce the country’s mosquito population.

Some areas with high populations of the insects have seen up to 90% declines using this technique.

A new strain of the Dengue disease, combined with unseasonably wet weather and coronavirus lockdowns that left construction sites and other mosquito breeding grounds undisturbed, are all seen as factors behind the outbreak.