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n 2008, 157 people died of dengue fever last year, and the number will likely increase this year, an official has said.

Cilacap health agency head Sugeng Budi Susanto, said the Central Java health office had recorded 11,424 cases of dengue in the province's 35 municipalities and regencies last year. Sugeng said the most cases were recorded in Semarang, followed by Jepara and Cilacap regencies, including Banyumas.

The data shows 2,375 people in Semarang caught dengue fever, 32 of whom died. Jepara recorded the second most, with 1,115 cases and 16 deaths, followed by Cilacap with 721 cases, seven of which were fatal.

He added Cilacap was in the top three regencies in the province two years in a row.

"We have acknowledged this and will immediately eradicate dengue fever in Cilacap," Sugeng told reporters in Cilacap on Monday. He said his office had recorded more than 700 cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever as of August this year, seven of which were fatal. The number of cases has increased compared to last year, when only 500 cases, three of which ended in deaths, were recorded.

He added Cilacap was facing problems in curbing the rate of infection of the disease because numerous areas retained stagnant water, especially during the dry season. "They are mostly found in rural areas, while in city areas, clogged drains provide mosquito's breeding grounds," Sugeng said.

The Cilacap Health Office is currently making efforts to reduce the number of cases of dengue fever in endemic areas, such as Cilacap's Patimuan district. Sugeng added that his office was also intensifying the drive to wipe out mosquito breeding places.

"That's why we have never been bored campaigning for a healthy lifestyle to prevent an epidemic," Sugeng said. Banyumas regency has recorded more than 500 dengue fever infections, of which five ended in deaths, prompting the local health office to name it an extraordinary occurrence on dengue fever.

"We have currently called an extraordinary occurrence for dengue fever given the huge number of infections and deaths from the disease. We are making strenuous efforts to suppress the number of infections," Ani Pratiwi, head of environmental health and disease eradication affairs at the Banyumas Health Office told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday at her office.

She added dengue fever had spread across all 27 districts in Banyumas. "The worst-hit areas are apparently urban areas in East and South Purwokerto," she said. The rate of dengue infection has been rising since 2007, she said, adding that the number of patients this year had risen by 100 percent compared to last year. In 2008, 241 patients and two deaths were recorded, while 551 patients, including the five fatalities, have been recorded so far this year. She said the dengue fever eradication drive was hampered by the limited funding set aside by the local administration.