THE dengue outbreak continues to stalk Singapore, with 363 people - 15 shy of the epidemic level - infected last week.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is actively transmitting the virus in 94 areas here, with 12 recording 10 or more cases and Pasir Ris drives 3 and 6 chalking up a high of 60.

The current outbreak is expected to continue until cooler weather comes next month or in September.

The warm and wet conditions are particularly conducive to Aedes aegypti breeding, which led to a high this year of 432 weekly cases earlier this month.

Breeding at home is the worst culprit and authorities are coming down hard on errant home owners, 2,742 of whom were fined in the first six months of this year.

The figures come as the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning of a major outbreak in the Asia-Pacific region 'unless concerted effort and cooperation are immediately undertaken'.

Dr John Ehrenberg, WHO regional adviser in malaria, other vector-borne and parasitic diseases, has warned that this year could be similar to 1998, when dengue killed nearly 1,500 people in Asia.

In a statement released yesterday, WHO pointed out that the disease arrived in the region earlier than usual this year, and has caused 'hundreds of deaths'.

It called for stronger political commitment and greater investment of resources in areas like dengue surveillance during and between outbreaks, proper patient management and reduction of breeding sites.

Between 1991 and 2004, 10 countries and areas, including Singapore, Cambodia, China, Malaysia and Vietnam, accounted for 98.4 per cent of all dengue cases and 99.7 per cent of all dengue deaths in this region, it added.

In Singapore, the total number of cases so far this year now stands at 4,768 with three deaths.

The number of fatalities may rise to four if adventure sports enthusiast Ian Ng, 26, who died on Sunday, is confirmed to have died of the virus.

There is no known cure or vaccine for dengue, which causes high fever and severe body ache and can be fatal.