This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

Aedes aegypti

In the 2005 dengue outbreak in Singapore, a significant rise in the number of dengue cases is reported in Singapore, becoming the country's worst health crisis since the 2003 SARS epidemic. In October, there were signs that the dengue outbreak has peaked as the number of weekly cases has reduced. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Jump to: navigation, search Ongoing events • Abramoff-Reed gambling scandal • Atlantic hurricane season • Avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak • Bali bombings investigation • California wildfires • UK Conservative Party leadership election • DeLay political financing scandal • Fuel prices / Peak oil • Irans nuclear program • Kashmir earthquake • London bombings investigation • Malawi food crisis • Niger food crisis... Image File history File links Aedes_Aegypti. ... Image File history File links Aedes_Aegypti. ... joyce This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... For music group see Dengue Fever (rock band) Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are acute febrile diseases, found in the tropics, with a geographical spread similar to malaria. ... Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) is an atypical form of pneumonia. ...

Status of outbreak

The number of dengue cases per week in 2005. Since 18 June, the number of weekly dengue cases has exceeded the epidemic threshold of 237.

As of October 22, 2005, there have been more than 12,000 dengue fever cases, nearly double the number infected in the same period in 2004, and 19 people have died so far. The large increase in dengue cases has caused hospitals to cancel some elective surgery due to the need to allocate more beds for dengue patients. Image File history File links 2005_weekly_dengue_cases. ... Image File history File links 2005_weekly_dengue_cases. ... Jump to: navigation, search October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Dengue is transmitted to humans by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. The virus can cause fever, severe headache, joint and muscular pains, vomiting, diarrhea and rashes. There is no commercially ready vaccine for dengue. Jump to: navigation, search Genera See text. ... joyce This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Jump to: navigation, search Diarrhea (AmE) or diarrhoea (CwE) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent and watery or loose bowel movements (from the ancient Greek word διαρροή = leakage; lit. ... Jump to: navigation, search A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to produce active immunity to a disease, in order to prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by any natural or wild strain of the organism. ...

Singapore's health-care system is helping to maintain a low fatality rate at 0.1% (2005), which is lower than Southeast Asia's regional average of 0.8% in 2004, according to the World Health Organization. Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Jump to: navigation, search The WHO flag: similar to the flag of the United Nations, augmented with the symbolic staff and serpent of Asklepios, Greek god of medicine and healing. ...

The National Environment Agency said that the dengue problem may be worsening because of higher temperatures and changes in viral strains. The mean temperature has risen to 28.2° Celsius (82.8° Fahrenheit) from 27.8° in 2003. National Environment Agency (NEA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in Singapore. ...

In the second week of September, more than 100 new cases were reported daily and many were admitted to public hospitals.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that one of the concerns is that more Singaporeans are infected with Dengue Type 3, which is a new strain of the dengue virus. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

Some experts, such as Dr Paul Reitner, Professor of Entomology at the Pasteur Institute in France, suggested that Singapore's success in suppressing the dengue has partly contributed to this year sudden increase in dengue cases. The population born over the last two decades has a low herd immunity and therefore more susceptible to the virus. [1] Jump to: navigation, search Entomology is the scientific study of insects. ... The Pasteur Institute (French: Institut Pasteur) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, microorganisms, diseases and vaccines. ... The effectiveness of a vaccine depends, amongst other things, on the percentage of the population which has received it and is still within the period of protection offered by that vaccine. ...

Inter-ministerial and inter-agency committees

Dengue hotspots: geographical distribution of dengue cases.

A mosquito larva

In September, an inter-ministerial committee headed by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Yaacob Ibrahim, was formed to tackle the dengue outbreak. Yaacob Ibrahim will deliver a ministerial statement on the issue in the parliament on September 19. [2] Image File history File links Dengue_hotspot. ... Image File history File links Dengue_hotspot. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Yaacob Ibrahim Yaacob Ibrahim (born 3 October 1955) is the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in Singapore. ... Yaacob Ibrahim Yaacob Ibrahim (born 3 October 1955) is the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in Singapore. ... The politics of Singapore is based on a unitary state with a Westminister system of parliamentary government. ... Jump to: navigation, search September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ...

An inter-agency Dengue Coordination Committee and a community-centred Dengue Watch Committee have also been established. [3] The Dengue Coordination Committee involves the permanent secretaries of the Environment, Health, and National Development ministries, and Chief Executive Officers of key government statutory boards, and it aims to ensure that the various policy initiatives by the various ministries are well-coordinated. Land Transport Authority (LTA) would make sure that bus-stops, Mass Rapid Transit stations, construction sites are free of mosquito breeding. Singapore Land Authority (SLA) were also stepping up their checks on vacant state land and properties, while the Housing and Development Board (HDB) and town councils are stepping up the cleaning of common areas. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is a statutory board in Singapore under the Ministry of Law. ... HDB Logo The Housing and Development Board (HDB) is the government agency responsible for Singapores public housing programme. ...

The Dengue Watch Committee is chaired by Khoo Tsai Kee who is the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and Water Resources. He will coordinate with the five mayors in Singapore to reach out to the 84 advisers and the town councils, to oversee dengue prevention measures at the community level.

A panel of experts had also been set up to advise the government on anti-dengue measures. The panel is chaired by Dr Chee Yam Cheng, Clinical Professor and Assistant Chief Executive Officer of National Healthcare Group.

Preventive measures

Larvae in stagnant water

Public awareness and prevention campaign

DEET is an active ingredient in some insect repellent products which, according to experts, is effective against mosquitoes.

Singapore launched a number of measures to contain the dengue outbreak, including public awareness campaigns and regular fogging with insecticides. 4,200 volunteers, 970 environmental control officers hired by construction sites, 350 so-called "mozzie busters" made up of girl guides and scouts, have participated in the preventive efforts. Mosquito Larvae Taken by fir0002 File links The following pages link to this file: Mosquito Categories: GFDL images ... Mosquito Larvae Taken by fir0002 File links The following pages link to this file: Mosquito Categories: GFDL images ... Image File history File links Anti-dengue. ... Image File history File links Anti-dengue. ... Image File history File links Deet_label. ... Image File history File links Deet_label. ... Jump to: navigation, search DEET chemical structure DEET is an insect-repellent chemical (chemical name N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide or N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide). ... Commercial insect repellents. ... The 117th International Olympic Committee Session was held for the first time in Singapore from 2 July to 9 July 2005. ... Jump to: navigation, search Singapore has taken a series of measures against avian influenza and the potential threat of a pandemic. ... Huang Na (黄娜) (1996-October 2004) was an eight-year old Chinese national found dead in a cardboard box at Telok Blangah Hill Park in Singapore. ... The Republic of Singapore Air Force committed four CH-47 Chinook helicopters and 45 personnel toward the relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. ... Following the 2005 Kashmir earthquake that occurred on October 8, 2005 in a Pakistan-administered region of the disputed territory of Kashmir, killing more than 30,000 people and injured over 42,000, Singapore organised several rescue and relief operations to assist the victims of the disaster. ... The National Kidney Foundation Singapore (NKFS) is a Singapore-based foundation running kidney dialysis and prevention programmes. ... Logo of NDP 2005 The National Day Parade, 2005 (NDP) is a national ceremony in Singapore on August 9, 2005 to commemorate Singapores 40 years of independence. ... The Police MRT Unit (Abbreviation: PMU; Malay: Unit Polis MRT; Chinese: 地铁警卫队) is a specialised unit of the Singapore Police Force, coming under the direct command of the Special Operations Command. ... The Singapore presidential election of 2005 was to be held on 27 August 2005 to elect the President of Singapore. ... ... Counter-terrorism in Singapore is a series of measures implemented in Singapore aiming to detect and prevent potential terrorism acts and to minimize damages should they occur. ... Integrated Resorts (IRs) are proposed casinos-based resorts in Singapore. ... The Singapore Flyer (Chinese: 新加坡摩天观景轮) is an observation wheel to be built in Singapore by 2008. ... Distance fog is a technique used in 3D computer graphics to enhance the perception of distance. ... Jump to: navigation, search Insecticide application by crop spraying An insecticide is a pesticide whose purpose is to kill or to prevent the multiplication of insects. ...

The Ministry of Health stepped up its monitoring of common mosquito breeding sites and launched an online map listing "hotspots" for the insects. Residents who allow mosquitoes to breed in their homes can be fined between S$100 to S$200, and heavier penalties may be issued for construction sites found with standing water. The number of officers conducting such checks have tripled since the start of the year to 360, and may increase to 510 by December. The Ministry of Health (abbreviated MOH), currently headed by the Minister of Health Mr. ... This article is about the insect; for the WWII aircraft see De Havilland Mosquito. ...

The National Environment Agency has allocated an additional S$7.5 million on top of its existing S$2.5 million budget to clear drains of stagnant water where mosquitoes breed. Singapore Land Authority has also stepped up its checks on vacant state properties. National Environment Agency (NEA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in Singapore. ... The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is a statutory board in Singapore under the Ministry of Law. ...

On 10 September, National Environment Agency started collecting blood samples from residents of Sims Avenue, a dengue hotspot, to help track the infection. The residents were asked to provide voluntarily 5 millilitres of blood sample and a swab of saliva for the study. The samples were to be analysed for antibodies against dengue infection in the last 2 months. National Environment Agency (NEA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in Singapore. ... Jump to: navigation, search Contents of Saliva In animals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the salivary glands. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

The National Parks Board (NParks) is considering removing broad-leafed plants which may breed mosquitoes. These plants like palm trees or any plants with axils capable of trapping water, are potential breeding sites. Holes in tree trunks is also a concern, and NParks workers have been filling these holes with sands. NParks has engaged 16 pest companies to stop mosquito breeding in the parks it manages. Due to the dengue threat, some schools are cancelling excursions to the parks. Look up Palm on Wiktionary, the free dictionary The word Palm has several meanings: The central region of the human hand and an ancient unit of length based thereon. ... The axil is the space or angle between a primary stalk or branch and a smaller branch or leaf coming off from the primary branch. ...

Community response

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan urged the public to help in the fight against the disease. As households are common breeding grounds for mosquitos and are less accessible for fogging, residents can help by checking for stagnant water in their households and neighbourhood and ensuring no blockage of drains. Due to the short life cycle of Aedes aegypti mosquitos (7 to 10 days), frequent checks are necessary to eradicate dengue. These checks only take several minutes and could potentially save lives. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Jump to: navigation, search Genera See text. ... joyce This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Jump to: navigation, search Genera See text. ...

Dr Kevin Palmer, World Health Organization's regional adviser for mosquito-borne diseases, said that it is important for ordinary residents to play their part. He added that fogging alone was not effective as winds could blow the insecticide away. [4] Yaacob Ibrahim also said that fogging only kills adult mosquitoes, but not the larva and therefore less effective compared to removing breeding sites. [5] Jump to: navigation, search The WHO flag: similar to the flag of the United Nations, augmented with the symbolic staff and serpent of Asklepios, Greek god of medicine and healing. ... Yaacob Ibrahim Yaacob Ibrahim (born 3 October 1955) is the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in Singapore. ... Jump to: navigation, search A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...

Singapore residents are also arming themselves with anti-mosquito products including insecticides, repellents and electronic mosquito traps. For repellents, experts are recommending those with an active ingredients, such as DEET which provide more effective and lasting protection. Jump to: navigation, search Insecticide application by crop spraying An insecticide is a pesticide whose purpose is to kill or to prevent the multiplication of insects. ... Commercial insect repellents. ... Jump to: navigation, search DEET chemical structure DEET is an insect-repellent chemical (chemical name N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide or N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide). ...

Some residents are buying a potted plant called Citronella and placing it at their home. The perennial grass plant, imported from Cameron Highlands, gives off a strong lemon-like fragrance which repels mosquitoes. Species Over 50: see text Lemon Grass Lemon grass or lemongrass is a perennial herb used in Asian (particularly Thai, Khmer and Vietnamese) and Caribbean cooking. ... Cameron Highlands Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands Brinchang from the Sam Poh Temple Cameron Highlands is a highlands region located about 20km east of Ipoh (and about 150km north of Kuala Lumpur) on the east side of the border between the states of Perak and Pahang in Malaysia. ...

To prevent the spread of the virus, those who are already infected with dengue are encouraged to use mosquito repellents, wear long-sleeved clothing and sleep under mosquito nets to prevent mosquitoes from biting them again and spreading the virus to others.

Weekend blitz

First blitz, 17-18 September

On the weekend of 17-18 September, more than 700 officers and volunteers launched a house-to-house campaign to remove breeding sites at four neighbourhoods, in what Minister Mah Bow Tan described as "sort of a carpet-combing exercise". The four neighbourhoods involved in the weekend blitz are Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Hougang and Marsiling, which are among the worst affected regions. Mah Bow Tan is a minister of the Singapore government. ... Jump to: navigation, search Ang Mo Kio is a heartland new town located in north central Singapore, and is generally within the North-East Region. ... Yishun, or Nee Soon as it was originally named, is a neighbourhood in the northern part of the city-state of Singapore. ... Hougang is a suburb area in the north-eastern region of the city-state of Singapore. ... ...

In this "search-and-destroy" operation, mosquito-fighting "commandos" combed the streets, checked the drains, looked at the bins and the roof structures at all estates to seek and destroy breeding sites. They found 172 mosquito-breeding sites, mainly flower pot trays, water containers, litters and tree holes.

Second blitz, 24-25 September

In the following weekend, five more areas were added to the weekend blitz, namely Toa Payoh/Bishan, Tampines, Choa Chu Kang, Bedok and Boon Lay/Jurong, and more than 200 breeding sites were found. Toa Payoh is a regional unit in Singapore. ... Jump to: navigation, search Bishan is a small neighbourhood of the city-state of Singapore situated in the Central-North, measuring approximately three by three kilometres. ... Tampines (or Tampines New Town) is the largest residential area of the city-state of Singapore and is located in the East of the main island. ... Choa Chu Kang is a neighbourhood in north-western Singapore. ... Bedok at Night Bedok Town is a neighbourhood in the eastern part of Singapore. ... Boon Lay is a small housing estate in the western region of Singapore. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Third blitz, 1-2 October

More than one thousand volunteers were involved in this third blitz to cover areas including Kallang, West Coast and Jurong East. 187 breeding sites were found and removed.[6] Kallang is a neighbourhood located in the southeastern part of Singapore. ... See: West Coast of the United States West Coast, New Zealand West Coast, Tasmania This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Jurong East is a town located next to Clementi Town which covers some 380 hectares of land in Western Singapore. ...

Hotline

A hotline has been set up for the public to make reports on suspected dengue breeding sites. The number is 1800-X-DENGUE (1800-9-336483). The hotline is manned round the clock by a team of trained NEA officers.

Public may also send an email to dengue@nea.gov.sg or call the NEA hotlines at 1800-333-7777 and 1800-CALL-NEA.

Treatment

In September, Singapore experienced a drastic rise of dengue cases. In the first week alone, 547 new cases were reported and many required hospital care. As the treatment lasts about 10 days, many hospitals across Singapore are experiencing shortage of hospitals beds. To cope with the strain, hospitals are postponing non-emergency operations to accommodate the dengue patients.

General practitioners and polyclinics are on high alert to check for cases of dengue and are ordering more patients to have their blood tested for suspected dengue. The test, which takes fifteen minutes, is based on platelet count; dengue sufferers have 100,000 or lower platelet count as compared to 140,000 to 400,000 of a healthy person. If a suspected dengue is diagnosed, the patient will be referred to a hospital for more accurate testing. Jump to: navigation, search A 250 ml bag of newly collected platelets. ...

Dengue diagnostic kits

In July 2005, a Singapore life science start-up company Veredus Laboratories launched a DNA- and RNA-based diagnostic kits for dengue, avian flu and malaria. The kit is based on technologies licensed from A*STAR and the National University of Singapore. [7] Avian influenza (also known as bird flu) is a type of influenza virulent in birds. ... Jump to: navigation, search Red blood cell infected with Malaria (Italian: bad air; formerly called ague or marsh fever in English) is an infectious disease which in humans causes about 350-500 million infections and approximately 1. ... Jump to: navigation, search The National University of Singapore (Abbreviation: NUS; Chinese: 新加坡国立大学; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Guólì Dàxué; Abbreviated 国大; Malay: Universiti Nasional Singapura; Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் தேசிய பல்கலைக்) is Singapores oldest university, and remains the largest in the country in terms of student enrolment and curriculum offered. ...

Another Singapore company Attogenix Biosystems has also developed a biochip called AttoChip which has successfully undergone an independent clinical trial conducted by Tan Tock Seng Hospital and is 98 percent accurate. The AttoChip identifies genes, viruses and bacteria-causing diseases from a blood sample. It can detect the presence of the dengue virus within two to three days of the onset of the virus. [8][9] Attogenix Biosystems Pte Ltd is a Singapore biotechnology company. ... The Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) is the second largest hospital in Singapore after the Singapore General Hospital, but its accident and emergency department is the busiest in the country largely due to its geographically centralised location. ...

In other countries

Dengue outbreaks are also reported in many countries this year, especially in Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. According to World Health Organization, about 50 million people are infected worldwide each year. Jump to: navigation, search Dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) are acute febrile diseases, found in the tropics, with a geographical spread similar to malaria. ... Jump to: navigation, search West Bengal (পশ্চিম বঙ্গ, Pościm Bôngo) is a state in the eastern region of India. ... Jump to: navigation, search The WHO flag: similar to the flag of the United Nations, augmented with the symbolic staff and serpent of Asklepios, Greek god of medicine and healing. ... Jump to: navigation, search The WHO flag: similar to the flag of the United Nations, augmented with the symbolic staff and serpent of Asklepios, Greek god of medicine and healing. ...

See also

• Ministry of Health
• National Environment Agency
• Mosquito control

The Ministry of Health (abbreviated MOH), currently headed by the Minister of Health Mr. ... National Environment Agency (NEA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in Singapore. ... Jump to: navigation, search Genera See text. ...

External links

• http://www.dengue.gov.sg/ - official website for Campaign Against Dengue
• Dengue Hotspots - Ministry of Health
• Dengue Prevention Checklist - National Environment Agency
• FAQs on Dengue - Ministry of Health
• Weekly Infectious Diseases Bulletin - Ministry of Health
• Dengue Hotspots J2ME Application - Maps updateable with statistics for past 7 days. Free.

The Ministry of Health (abbreviated MOH), currently headed by the Minister of Health Mr. ... National Environment Agency (NEA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in Singapore. ... The Ministry of Health (abbreviated MOH), currently headed by the Minister of Health Mr. ... The Ministry of Health (abbreviated MOH), currently headed by the Minister of Health Mr. ...

News articles

• Another person dies from dengue, bringing death toll to 12 this year - Channel NewsAsia (28 September 2005)
• Mosquito-breeding sites found at one in 10 housing blocks - Channel NewsAsia (19 September 2005)
• Singaporeans snap up Citronella to repel mosquitoes - Channel NewsAsia (18 September 2005)
• Asia scrambles to tackle mosquito menace as dengue alerts go out - Mainichi Shimbun (16 September 2005)
• Desperate times demand offbeat solutions as world watches S'pore vs mosquito - Today (15 September 2005)
• NParks considers removing trees, plants which may breed mosquitoes - Channel NewsAsia (15 September 2005)
• Sale of anti-mosquito products up at pharmacies, supermarkets - Channel NewsAsia (15 September 2005)
• Dengue-hit Singapore to scour city for mosquitos - Reuters (14 September 2005)
• Singapore out to destroy dengue mosquitoes - Channel NewsAsia (14 September 2005)
• SLA doubles dengue checks on vacant state properties - Channel NewsAsia (12 September 2005)
• Aedes mosquito breeding patterns may have changed: experts - Channel NewsAsia (12 September 2005)
• ENV to study how fogging practices are conducted - Channel NewsAsia (11 September 2005)
• Inter-agency panel, watch group set up to tackle rising dengue cases - Channel NewsAsia (11 September 2005)
• Health Minister seeks to reduce dengue cases by half - Channel NewsAsia (11 September 2005)
• WHO'S verdict on S'pore best dengue defence in the world worst dengue outbreak in the world - The New Paper (11 September 2005)
• Current fogging practices ineffective in killing the Aedes mosquitoes - Channel NewsAsia (11 September 2005)
• Another 125 dengue cases reported, 85 admitted to hospital - Channel NewsAsia (10 September 2005)
• Inter-ministerial committee formed to tackle dengue situation - Channel NewsAsia (9 September 2005)
• More hospitals receive dengue patients to relieve overcrowding - Channel NewsAsia (8 September 2005)
• NEA to get blood, saliva samples in Sims Ave to test for dengue cases - Channel NewsAsia (8 September 2005)
• Non-urgent operations delayed as hospitals cope with dengue cases - Channel NewsAsia (7 September 2005)
• NEA offers more funds to Town Councils to fight dengue - Channel NewsAsia (6 September 2005)
• The dengue mystery - Today (2 September 2005)
• Singapore Escalates Fight Against Record Surge of Dengue Fever - bloomberg.com (2 September 2005)
• Seven dead this year as dengue fever hits Singapore - Reuters (1 September 2005)
• Doctors on high alert for dengue cases - Channel NewsAsia (1 September 2005)