The chikungunya outbreak occurring in a number of villages in Cilongok district, Banyumas, Central Java, has reportedly killed a resident and infected 500 others.
Cilongok district administration chief Fatikhul said the mosquito-borne disease had affected local residents over the past three months and added the disease was spreading to every village in the district.
“We have 20 villages and nearly all of them have symptoms of the disease,” Fatikhul said Wednesday.
He said that in every village more than 50 people had reportedly been infected by the disease in the past month.
“The number of patients is likely to increase over the next month. We have coordinated with the local health office and a number of villages have conducted fumigation,” Fatikhul told The Jakarta Post.
He said that most of those who had contracted the disease lived near farms.
He said that based on data from the Pernasidi village administration office, 76 people were suffering from chikungunya as of Wednesday, most of whom are palm sap collectors.
“More than 100 people have been infected over the past month. They generally complain of stiff joints and muscles and pain when walking,” said Pernasidi village head Rokhmat.
A local resident, Khadir, 56, died two days ago after being treated for a week in hospital.
Mosquito-borne diseases are endemic to Banyumas, as well as Cilacap and Purbalingga in Central Java.
Last year, more than 15 people died of dengue fever in the three regencies and more than 1,000 people were infected by the disease in Banyumas.
The head of the Banyumas health office of contagious disease eradication, Ani Pratiwi, said 70 percent, or 22 of the 27 districts in Banyumas were categorized as prone to mosquito-borne diseases.
Dengue fever cases in Banyumas have risen to almost 200 percent from 2008 until the middle of this year.
“Dengue fever was once an extraordinary occurrence in Banyumas,” said Ani.
She said the local health office has made efforts to fight the disease, such as fumigation in a number of mosquito-infested villages.
