Dengue fever - A serious threat?

Two persons died from Dengue fever this year. After the first man died, Singapore has stepped up with the awareness creation for protective measures. There is now busses covered with anti-dengue messages, TV-ads, Taxis are covered with the same message. There is ads in the subway as well as Flyers being sent to our homes. Interesting.

I am not trying to play this down, but in 2006, worldwide less than 200 people died from Dengue. During the same time 182 people died in traffic accidents in Singapore alone. I may guess that many of them were foreign workers that are usually sitting in dozens on the flat beds of trucks. Or the kids that mums have sitting on their laps in the front seat - no seat belt of cours. Poor dad hits something and the kid goes through the windscreen. As 19 people died from dengue (out of 4 million) this is about 10% of the fatalities in roadaccidents, whereby not every Singaporean is moving around on the streets.