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AKARTA: Following an outbreak of Chikungunya in Depok, one of Jakarta’s buffer zones, that has affected 200 people, the Jakarta Health Agency is on alert against a possible outbreak in the capital.

On Friday, agency head Dien Emmawati said that maintaining environmental cleanliness was the key to avoiding the disease.

“Chikungunya fever is caused by the Aedes mosquito, the same type that spreads dengue fever. We use the same method to stop the infection,” she said.

Dien stressed that the “seal, dry and bury” method worked well in preventing mosquito-borne diseases. She also said that people should regularly clean their water sources as they were potential mosquito-breeding grounds.

“Such methods have reduced the dengue fever rate effectively. We can apply the same methods to prevent Chikungunya,” she said.

Previously, residents and health officials quarantined parts of Limo, Depok, after hundreds of people contracted the disease in the past month.