Chikungunya outbreak hits Bengkalis

Rizal Harahap ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Pekanbaru   |  Wed, 10/15/2008 10:29 AM  |  Headlines

An outbreak of Chikungunya disease has hit five districts in Bengkalis regency, Riau, with 320 people reported to have been infected by the mosquito-borne virus in the past three months.

On Tuesday, Bengkalis Regent Syamsurizal acknowledged the disease, which had never been encountered in the regency, was Chikungunya fever, after the local health agency received the results of blood tests carried out in Jakarta.

He said five out of 11 samples tested were infected with the Chikungunya virus.

"We have declared the disease hitting the regency for the first time as an extraordinary occurrence," Syamsurizal said.

"There is no need to worry because we have prepared one doctor and paramedics in every affected region."

The regent added he had instructed all district heads in Bengkalis to urge residents to work together to clean up their neighborhoods in an attempt to halt the outbreak.

Edi Setiawan Ramli, acting head of the Bengkalis Health Agency, said the disease first infected eight residents of Kedabu Rapat village in West Rangsang district in late August. A week later, 55 people in Kembung Luar village in Bantan district were also infected.

Within another week, the disease had hit several villages in Bengkalis, Rangsang and Merbau districts.

Symptoms of the disease include high fever, dizziness and headaches, as well as pain in the joints and rashes on the skin.

"It takes time to find the cause of this disease, because it never struck here before," said Edi, adding the virus was carried by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albocpiqtus mosquitoes.

"We have distributed 10 fogging machines and mosquito repellent to prevent further outbreaks."

Burhanuddin Agung, head of the Riau Health Agency's Public Nutrition and Health Division, said Bengkalis was the second region in Riau experiencing Chikungunya infections, after Pekanbaru mayoralty was hit in 2006 and 2007.

"We have sent a medical team to Bengkalis to help the administration cope with the outbreak," he said.

"There are no vaccines or medicines for the disease yet. Currently, doctors can only give medicine to patients to reduce the fever and joint pain.

"The only effective way to prevent infections is to stop the mosquitoes' breeding cycle by exterminating them."

Burhanuddin added that Chikungunya, unlike dengue fever, did not have a high fatality rate.

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.