At least 8300 people have been infected with the mosquito-borne disease from January to August 27 this year, double that of the same period in 2004.

"If all of us play our part, the problem can be solved," Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan told local radio.

"We may not be able to eradicate dengue but we surely can at least as a first target halve the incident rate," he said.

Dengue fever claimed its eighth victim this year after a 41-year-old church pastor succumbed to the virus last week.

Authorities last month announced new measures to curb the spread of the virus by stepping up checks on mosquito breeding sites and launching an online map listing the "hotspots" for the carrier insects.

Private homes are the main breeding grounds for mosquitoes, accounting for 55 percent of all those found.

Singapore, better known overseas for its squeaky-clean image, experienced its worst dengue outbreak in a decade last year, with 9,459 cases requiring hospital treatment, almost double the 2003 figure.

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