While reducing mosquito breeding grounds and involving the community are key to limiting transmission of dengue fever, the role of the primary healthcare system must not be underestimated, urge Assistant Professor, Dr Vincent Pang, Director of the Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research, and Professor Leo Yee Sin, Director of the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, and Clinical Director of Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s Communicable Disease Centre.
In addition to providing clinical care, primary healthcare doctors play an important role in contributing to surveillance, research and prevention of dengue.
Starting with the ability to suspect dengue in patients presenting with fever (since fever is a symptom that is not specific to any illness), the doctor has to use the right diagnostic tools to confirm dengue and monitor the patient for any progression to severe illness.
Primary healthcare doctors can also help in the early detection of new dengue hotspots by gathering key information from patients at their onset of fever, so that enhanced mosquito control measures can be taken at potential dengue hotspots.
How else is the primary healthcare system critical in this fight against dengue? Read on to find out: