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Jakarta alerted to threat of dengue fever
The city administration has warned Jakartans about the imminent threat of a dengue fever outbreak during the transition from the rainy to dry season
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The city administration has warned Jakartans about the imminent threat of a dengue fever outbreak during the transition from the rainy to dry season.
Jakarta Health Agency head Dien Emawati said on Wednesday that the number of people infected with the virus was on the rise in the first four months of this year, reminding residents to seek prompt medical treatment in a bid to curb fatalities.
'Residents must be aware of the symptoms of dengue fever. If they suffer a symptom, such as experiencing high fever for a long period followed by a sudden drop in body temperature, they should go to the hospital immediately,' she told The Jakarta Post.
As of May, the agency recorded 1,399 cases in East Jakarta alone, with six fatalities. South Jakarta has the second highest rate, with 678 cases during the same period, but with no fatalities reported.
The head of the health office in East Jakarta, Safarudin, said the number of dengue cases in the municipality in the same period last year was 1,167.
'The number of incidences is increasing due to the change in seasons. Many of those who died, did so due to late responses either from relatives or the private health clinic that did not refer them to hospital,' he said.
'When they were submitted to the hospital, they were already in the weakest condition,' he added.
Safarudin said Cakung and Duren Sawit were the two districts most prone to the mosquito-borne viral disease because there were many vacant lots, which were the best places for mosquitoes to breed.
However, according to him, dengue was not only found in slum areas.
'Many residents in richer areas were infected because they were ignorant in terms of prevention,' he said.
In 2007, Jakarta declared the dengue outbreak an extraordinary situation, with 4,406 cases in four months - higher than the average 3,146 cases in corresponding years - and 41 deaths.
Since then, the administration intensified prevention measures, which included anti-mosquito campaigns, fumigation and spreading information about the disease, while expediting hospital responses in dealing with it to avoid deaths.
It also appointed larvae controllers, locally known as jumantik, to inspect possible breeding grounds of the aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which breed in stagnant water.
Jakarta has witnessed fewer cases in the past two years due to prevention programs.
South Jakarta health office head Kurnianto Amien said most dengue cases in the municipality were found in business districts such as Setiabudi and Kebayoran Baru.
'It's difficult to hold fumigation in these areas because most office building managements are reluctant to cooperate with us and underestimate the hazards of dengue fever,' he said.
Public ignorance about the disease and its prevention has contributed to the high occurrence of dengue fever in the capital, said Ririn Arminsih, an environmental health expert from the University of Indonesia.
'The administration has a limited number of health officials to educate and warn residents of the fatal disease. Therefore, residents should also take the initiative,' she told the Post.
'Residents also need to understand that fumigation, despite its smell and the greasy layering it leaves on things, is a must because it's effective in killing the larvae.' (tam)
