DENGUE DEATH CASE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE DATA

Column No : 1805

DENGUE DEATH CASE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE DATA: 15.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong asked the Minister for Health (a) why the death of a 49-year-old due to dengue on September 17, 2005 in the hospital was reported to his Ministry as a dengue-death-case only after one month in mid-October; and (b) is the Ministry's monitoring of infectious disease data accurate and up-to-date.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: Sir, Mr Steve Chia cited a case of fatal dengue infection which was apparently only notified to my Ministry one month after the event. He has rightly asked why this was so, as it would suggest that our monitoring of infectious diseases might have been compromised. Let me assure him that nothing was amiss.

Dengue is a notifiable disease under the Infectious Diseases Act. All doctors are required to notify my Ministry within 24 hours after any diagnosis of dengue has been made. This is to enable prompt public health measures, including vector control measures by the National Environmental Agency, to be initiated to prevent further spread of the disease.

In this instance, the 49-year-old man visited Yishun Polyclinic on 12th September 2005. He was diagnosed as a dengue suspect and was referred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Emergency Department for further management. The polyclinic notified my Ministry the next day. On September 14, after verifyingthe details, my Ministry alerted NEA and vector control activities were initiated. On the same day, the patient made a second follow-up visit to Tan Tock Seng Hospitaland was admitted this time. On September 15, blood test confirmed the case as dengue. Unfortunately, his condition deteriorated and he died on September 17.

His death was subsequently reported to the Registry of Births and Deaths. We do not require doctors to re-notify dengue death cases as the necessary public health measures would already have been put in place.

Nonetheless, for statistical purposes, the Registry would compile and submit returns of dengue deaths to my Ministry. This is batched and done on a monthly basis. This particular patient’s death was included in the October data which was sent by the Registry. I presume this is the notification that Mr Chia was referring to.