'The outbreak goes to show we are never prepared for dengue'

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 02/03/2007 4:38 PM  |  Jakarta

The Jakarta administration has made arrangements for free dengue diagnosis and treatment at hospitals to support the national anti-dengue and cleanliness campaign. The Jakarta Post asked some residents for their thoughts on the best way to check the spread of the disease in the city.

Lamtiur Kristin Malau, a journalist, works on Jl. Kebon Sirih in Central Jakarta:

Every year, there is an outbreak of dengue fever. We have come to expect it, and yet we as a community have not developed a sustainable dengue prevention and control program.

Many people feel the government should be responsible for public health, but individual responsibility for dengue control is equally important.

The government cannot destroy all the mosquitoes by itself. No matter how good its anti-dengue campaign is, if the people do not change their habits, it will be impossible to stop the disease from spreading.

The government should steer clear of ""big words"". If it declares the dengue outbreak ""extraordinary"", because the number of infections has increased from the previous year, it should follow through with extraordinary action.

The government urges the people to take preventive measures, but it doesn't really educate them about the dangers of the disease. Most people don't really care about disease outbreaks. They think it's usual for people to fall ill.

There are many dirty places in the city -- not only residential areas but public places like schools as well. This means residents face a potential health risk from exposure to germs due to the amount of time they spend outside their homes.

Indriani Dyah, a reporter for a national newspaper, lives in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta:

The city government has a good dengue program, which it calls Pemusnahan Sarang Nyamuk (eradication of mosquito breeding sites). It requires residents to spend 15 minutes every Friday cleaning up their environments.

It's a good program, but there are implementation problems. Community leaders aren't supervising the program properly. Somebody needs to take the helm, otherwise nobody will do anything.

This program has been running for two years now, but many people don't know anything about dengue. What's more, it's supposed to run all year round, not just in the rainy season. Cases of dengue occur yearly, but cleanup activities grind to a halt in the dry season.

Residents must maintain a clean environment -- which is a tall order in Jakarta. Hospitals require better testing kits and equipment, as well as adequate blood supplies.

Many hospitals struggle to treat all the dengue patients they receive. This only goes to show we are never prepared for dengue.

Fatni Cholidi, 25, works for an advertising firm in Jakarta. She lives in Ciawi, Bogor:

I got dengue fever a year ago. I don't know where I was when the dengue-carrying mosquito bit me. I was traveling a lot at the time -- mostly back and forward between Jakarta and Kuningan in West Java. I can also remember going to the Safari Park in Bogor and I've got a suspicion that's where I was bitten.

People should be more careful about the medicines they take for dengue, or any other disease. Some medicines have side effects like rashes. I had an allergic reaction to one of the drugs I was given for dengue.

People should inform their doctor if they're allergic to a particular type of drug.

My family is making a special effort this year to stop water accumulating in containers around the house. We are burying empty cans and anything else that has the potential to catch water.

It's always raining where I live, so there are lots of mosquitoes. Therefore, every afternoon we always spray the rooms in our house with household insecticide.

I will also tell my nieces and nephews to wear mosquito repellent when they go to school or play in the afternoon.

Tri Maryati, 24, works for a local television station. She lives in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, with her family:

I had dengue fever when I was little. Since then, I always try to keep away from mosquitoes.

I routinely spray my room at night before going to bed.

In my neighborhood, the community chief is usually the one who gets someone in to fumigate.

It's not the kind of neighborhood where people get together and clean up. However, fogging effectively kills adult mosquitoes.

Up to now, no one else in my family has had dengue. The same goes for the people in my neighborhood. I hope it stays that way.

-- The Jakarta Post

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