Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in Singapore City. 5. Observations in relation to dengue haemorrhagic fever.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever in Singapore was a disease of the urban human population, with concentrations of cases occurring in areas of high population density. Mosquito surveys revealed that these areas also had high population densities of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus.The disease occurred throughout the year but the incidence of cases appeared to follow a seasonal pattern. Observations from 1966 to 1968 showed that the number of cases increased in April, reached a peak in November, and, thereafter, decreased until the next increase in April of the following year. The epidemic curve generally agreed with the fluctuations of both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus populations, although the latter species appeared to show a better correspondence with the incidence of cases.Six dengue viruses were isolated from the two Aedes species during 1966. One dengue type 2 virus was isolated from a pool of Ae. aegypti and 1 dengue type 1 virus and 4 dengue type 2 viruses were recovered from 5 pools of Ae. albopictus. These viruses were isolated from mosquitos collected during the period of increase in the incidence of cases and in 4 different areas of the city. The dengue virus infection rates per 1 000 mosquitos estimated in the present study were 0.51 for Ae. aegypti and 0.59 for Ae. albopictus.The data obtained in the present study suggest that both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus are involved in the transmission of dengue haemorrhagic fever in Singapore.