9th Singapore International Dengue Workshop - Dr Janil Puthucheary

1. Good morning. Especially to all our guests, who come from overseas. Welcome to Singapore, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for inviting me to join you here at the 9th Singapore International Dengue Workshop. Great to see so many dedicated public health practitioners, researchers, and partners from around the world, and some of you are participating online.

Introduction: A Shared Global Challenge

2. The theme of this year’s workshop, “United Against Dengue: From Global Collaboration to Local Action”, captures both the urgency and the unity needed to tackle dengue — a disease that does not recognise national borders.

3. Dengue virus is the fastest-growing mosquito-borne disease in the world. The 14 million dengue cases in 2024, reported by the World Health Organization, surpassed the previous historical record of 6.5 million in 2023. This accelerating rise of dengue comes with a surge in dengue-related deaths, numbering more than 11,000 globally in 2024.  It is a sobering reminder that dengue is a serious global challenge, and this will worsen. It will worsen with climate change, it will worsen with increasing urbanisation, and with global mobility.

4. The fight against dengue cannot be won if we work in isolation. Collaboration across borders is our strongest defence, with each country’s success contributing to increased global resilience. That is why gatherings like this bringing together experts, policymakers, public health practitioners, and community leaders are vital for all of us to exchange knowledge, to exchange ideas, and co-create solutions. Singapore is honoured to co-organise this workshop with the World Health Organization, and to support our participants under the Singapore Cooperation Program administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A Legacy of Capacity Building

5. Since its launch in 2009, the Singapore International Dengue Workshop has trained more than 500 public health practitioners from over 60 countries. And this year, we welcome 66 participants from 27 countries — our most diverse group yet. A very warm welcome to all of you, including colleagues from Albania and Brazil, two countries that are joining us for the first time. Welcome to Singapore.

6. This workshop has always been more than a training platform. In its early years, when it was known as the Asia-Pacific Dengue Workshop, discussions among participants sparked the idea for a regional dengue virus surveillance network within Asia. That vision from that time became a reality in 2012 with the launch of UNITEDengue — it is a multi-country network that seeks to strengthen regional dengue surveillance, control, and capability through cross-border collaboration across Asia.

7. Sharing critical data on dengue cases and viral genetic sequences through UNITEDengue has enhanced our collective understanding of dengue virus variants circulating in our region. The team also came together to share knowledge on how to handle the Zika outbreak in Asia in the mid-2010s. And more than a decade on, UNITEDengue continues to connect scientists and public health agencies in Asia in the fight against dengue.

Strengthening Global Surveillance Networks

8. I am pleased to share that our collaborative network is expanding both in terms of scope and reach. Led by the Singapore National Environment Agency’s Environmental Health Institute (EHI), with support from Temasek Foundation, UNITEDengue now connects 12 countries and will expand its monitoring to other mosquito-borne viruses such as Zika and Chikungunya. Besides working on a dashboard that integrates data from various sources, the network will continue to build capability through training initiatives, such as this workshop. I thank the UNITEDengue members for your continued support and for the work that you put in to this very important effort. 

9. This year, the UNITEDengue has also been linked to a larger global network, the Dengue and Zika Immunology and Genomics Network, also known as DeZi. DeZi is supported by the Wellcome Trust and co-led by EHI. DeZi integrates us within a wider global research network, with more than 15 partners across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Besides virus surveillance, this network will also conduct multi-country studies to understand the burden of dengue and Zika in different countries. We look forward to benefitting from the synergies between the two research networks. And together, we will help to build a resilient global community, and will be able to respond to emerging vector-borne threats effectively.

From Global Collaboration to Local Action

10. As this year’s theme reminds us, we would only be able to manage the growing risk of dengue when we translate what we learn from global research collaborations into concrete local actions. For the past six decades, Singapore’s mosquito control strategy has integrated environmental management, community action, and scientific research. We have learnt that sustainable control requires active participation at every level — from government agencies and industry partners, to the residents in our neighbourhoods.

Advancing Integrated Pest Management

11. In the spirit of cross-sector collaboration, I am pleased to announce that the Singapore Standard (SS721:2025), also known as the Code of Practice for the Performance of Pest Management Services will be published by the end of this month. Co-led by the experts from the National Environment Agency and the Singapore Pest Management Association, the standard has been developed by our diverse stakeholders including service buyers, education institutions, conservancy and pest management solutions companies, and the training providers.

12. This new standard, developed by Enterprise Singapore through the Singapore Standards Council, is our first national framework for professional pest management personnel. It promotes an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) set of principles, a sustainable approach that prioritises prevention and minimises harm to the environment. So, these approaches – whether it is about our overall surveillance, integrated pest management – it requires the entire chain from policy all the way down to what we do in our neighbourhoods, to work together. Whether we are operationalising research interventions, coming up with standards, we need that community of practise to come together to be able to do so.

13. So I thank the working group, whose collaborative efforts exemplify the strong partnerships that we have been able to build. Especially the partnership we have between our NEA and the industry that underpins effective public health initiatives.

Project Wolbachia – as an example of IPM in practice

14. For decades, this approach – IPM – has guided Singapore’s vector control approach. It prioritises prevention, it combines physical, biological, and chemical controls and it is guided by risk-based assessments. By addressing the root causes of pest infestation, we can overtime reduce our reliance on pesticides. This allows us to achieve our pest management goals in the most cost-effective manner, while protecting human health and the environment.

15. A very good example of IPM in practice in Singapore is Project Wolbachia — our biological control programme that uses male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia bacteria to suppress wild mosquito populations. With Project Wolbachia, we have seen up to a 90 per cent reduction in Aedes aegypti populations and more than a 70 per cent lower dengue risk in release areas. Building on this success, NEA has committed to expand Project Wolbachia to cover 50 per cent of our households by 2026. We are on track to achieve this target and will be announcing more details on future release sites soon.

16. Singapore’s experience with Project Wolbachia demonstrates that innovative biological control methods can be scaled – can be scaled safely and effectively, and especially so when backed by strong science, technology development, and community support – all of which are equally important. I am heartened that the project continues to enjoy strong public trust. We see that 96 per cent of our residents express support or acceptance for the project. And, we have actually received requests from communities asking for Project Wolbachia to be rolled out in their area, and increase the coverage for them. As a government, this is the greatest marker of trust and acceptance when people are asking for a project, than to be brought to their community.

17. In a similar vein, while the new Singapore Standard seeks to uplift the standards of our pest management industry, active community support is essential to unlock the full potential of IPM. I encourage all our residents to continue to do their part to eliminate pest breeding sites. And together, we can move from a reactive pest management approach to proactive prevention, and we all know this is ultimately better for our health, and for our environment.

From Global Insights to Local Solutions

18. The initiatives I have highlighted today — expanding surveillance networks, advancing integrated pest management approach, scaling innovative dengue control tools — all of these show how global collaboration and local action can reinforce each other. International partnerships help to support capability building and cross-border information sharing. This informs national dengue risk assessment and control strategy. Local initiatives, such as the IPM Standard here in Singapore and novel vector control tools like Project Wolbachia, integrate these insights into concrete, sustainable and effective solutions on the ground, and then give us the opportunity to share our local experience at forums like this with international partners, and learn further how we can progress more.

19. As climate change and urbanisation continue to reshape the dynamics of diseases we are concerned about, the partnerships and knowledge shared here at SIDW will likely become even more valuable. The connections you forge during the workshop today will lead to enduring collaborations that will strengthen our collective ability and allow us to save more lives, and make public health even better for all our residents.

Conclusion: United in Purpose

20. Over the next ten days, SIDW participants will engage in training sessions across three tracks:  Laboratory Surveillance, Field Control, and Clinical Management. Each one is vital and important in our fight against dengue. The challenges are complex, but the expertise and commitment I see in this room gives me confidence that together, we can make real progress in reducing the threat of dengue.

21. Lastly, I would especially like to thank the international and local experts who have taken time off your busy schedules, the important work that you are doing, to support this workshop. Thank you very much for coming, sharing your knowledge and your expertise, and building up that community that exists and will strengthen overtime as we deal with the challenges ahead of us. I wish everyone a productive and inspiring workshop, and thank you very much for inviting me to be a part of this.