Should We Still Be Concerned About Dengue as Number of Cases Falls?

The number of dengue cases in Singapore has dropped significantly in 2025, constituting only about a quarter of the cases recorded in the first half of 2024.

- Zhaki Abdullah

Data from the National Environment Agency's (NEA) website shows there were 2,219 cases between January and June 5, compared with the 10,000 cases in the first six months of 2024.

The agency attributed the decline in numbers partly to innovations such as Project Wolbachia—an initiative to control the Aedes aegypti mosquito population through the release of lab-grown male mosquitoes.

Does this mean that Singapore's control measures—which include fogging, home inspections, and public education—are working, and that dengue is no longer a threat here?

Experts told Simply Science that it may be premature to say if the existing measures can curb future dengue outbreaks.

Under Project Wolbachia, male mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia—a common, naturally occurring bacteria—are released into high-risk dengue areas. When they mate with female mosquitoes, the eggs produced will not hatch, leading to a reduction in the mosquito population over time.

The initiative currently covers 23 areas in Singapore, including Bukit Batok, Tampines, and Serangoon. It aims to protect 800,000 households, or about half of all households here, by 2026.