SINGAPORE--A dengue fever outbreak has plunged Singapore into its worst health crisis since the 2003 SARS epidemic, forcing officials to speed up a campaign against the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.

Public hospitals in the modern city-state better known for its cleanliness are delaying non-urgent operations to cope with an outbreak that has killed eight and infected over 9,000 of Singapore's 4.2 million people this year.

These could soon surpass the record 9,459 cases and eight deaths from dengue last year, causing public alarm despite the fact that the debilitating viral disease is an endemic, year-round problem.

By one estimate over 100 new cases per day are now being reported, and since there is no dengue vaccine mosquito eradication is the only solution.

Source: Coloma, R., AFP. "Dengue plunges Singapore into worst health crisis since SARS." Inq7.net. Sept 11, 2005 Updated 03:48pm (Mla time). 9-12-2005. http://news.inq7.net/express/html_output/20050911-49902.xml.html