SINGAPORE: Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan has contracted dengue fever, his office said on Thursday (Jul 23), following his admission to an isolation ward.
Mr Khaw, who retired from politics in June, had said in a Facebook post around noon on Thursday that his temperature had "shot up" ahead of a signing ceremony to finalise the Rapid Transit System Link project between Singapore and Malaysia.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"I started my career in the Health Ministry. After 42 years, I would not expect to exit the stage in bed as a patient!" said Mr Khaw, posting a picture of himself in hospital.
In a response to CNA's queries, Mr Khaw's office later confirmed that he had contracted dengue fever, and had also tested negative for COVID-19.
[h=3]READ: Weekly number of dengue cases in Singapore surpasses ‘historical high’[/h][h=3]READ: Number of dengue cases in 2020 so far surpasses 2019's total count[/h] AdvertisementAdvertisementThis is the third time Mr Khaw has contracted dengue, said his office, with his first encounter with the disease being in the 1980s.
He is currently warded at the Singapore General Hospital.
In his Facebook post, Mr Khaw had said the cause of his hospitalisation was "unlikely to be COVID", but that dengue was possible because his area is a "hot zone".
[h=3]READ: Heavier penalties from Jul 15 for households with repeated mosquito breeding offences and multiple breeding habitats: NEA[/h][h=3]READ: Anti-dengue Wolbachia mosquito project shows ‘promising results’; to cover all Tampines, Yishun HDB towns from July[/h]According to Mr Khaw's office, he currently lives in the Yio Chu Kang area.
The National Environment Agency's (NEA) website shows several dengue clusters in the Yio Chu Kang area.
According to NEA's data, as at Jul 22, there are 424 high-risk dengue clusters in Singapore, with another 262 clusters under surveillance.
The number of dengue cases in Singapore this year has already surpassed the total number of cases for the whole of 2019, hitting a historical high in June with 895 people infected in just five-and-a-half days.
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