By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

Singapore environment officials recorded a record number of dengue fever cases last week as the city-state races for a record season.

Aedes aegypti/CDC

1,733 dengue cases were reported in the week ending 18 July 2020. This figure is the highest number of weekly dengue cases ever recorded in Singapore, and is nearly double the 891 cases recorded in 2014.

With the more than 1200 cases recorded through Thursday this week, this makes it the seventh consecutive week with more than 1,000 cases.

The total cases of dengue fever is now just shy of 20,000 (19872), closing in on the record of 22,170 cases reported in 2013.

With the reporting of three additional dengue related fatalities recently, the death toll is now 19 in Singapore.

The National Environment Agency says those showing symptoms suggestive of dengue should see a medical practitioner early, to be diagnosed and managed accordingly. Early diagnosis can facilitate better case management, and persons with dengue can also help prevent further transmission by applying repellent regularly, so that mosquitoes do not bite them and pick up the virus from them. The symptoms suggestive of dengue include:

  • Sudden onset of fever for two to seven days;
  • Severe headache with retro-orbital (behind the eye) pain;
  • Joint and muscle pain;
  • Skin rashes;
  • Nausea and vomiting;
  • Bleeding from the nose or gums;
  • Easy bruising of the skin

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