People in Singapore are coming down with dengue at an alarming rate in 2020.

The number of dengue cases in Singapore in the first seven months this year has surpassed the total number of cases for the whole of 2019.

As of 3pm on Monday, there were 17,249 dengue cases recorded in Singapore in 2020.

This is far more than the 15,998 dengue cases recorded for the whole of 2019.

The total number of cases in 2020 is expected to exceed the 22,170 cases reported in 2013.

That was the year with the largest dengue outbreak in Singapore’s history.

A total of 1,678 dengue cases were reported in Singapore in the second week of July 2020.

This marks the fifth consecutive week the weekly numbers have breached the 1,000 mark, data from the National Environment Agency on July 14 showed.

The NEA's dengue cases weekly report takes into account infections diagnosed between Sundays and Saturdays.

Dengue clusters

As of Monday, July 13, there were 371 dengue clusters in Singapore.

Of which, 133 are considered "high-risk areas" with 10 or more cases.

These include areas in Geylang, Bukit Panjang, Potong Pasir, Serangoon North and Tampines.

Singapore is currently in the traditional dengue peak season.

This period will last until October.

Get rid of mosquito breeding habitats

Members of the public are advised to use aerosol insecticide spray in their homes and to apply mosquito repellent to protect themselves to break disease transmission.

People are urged to destroy mosquito breeding habitats.

During the "circuit breaker" period, there was a five-fold increase in the incidence of Aedes mosquito larvae detected in homes and common corridors in residential areas.

Heavier penalties will be meted out to households with repeated mosquito breeding offences and multiple breeding habitats.

These penalties will change from Wednesday, July 15.

First-time offenders will be penalised with a S$200 fine for a single instance of mosquito breeding, and S$300 for multiple breeding instances during the same inspection or mosquito breeding detected after a legal notice has been served.

Repeat offenders will also be given heftier penalties or sent to court.

Currently, households are issued a composition sum of S$200 if mosquito breeding is detected at their residential premises, regardless of the number of breeding habitats detected.

Offenders are only sent to court for the fourth offence.

Top photo via Pixabay