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Agency tells residents to stay vigilant about dengue
The Health Agency has asked residents to be on the alert for the spread of dengue fever, though the rate of incidence was much lower in January and February this year than it was over the same period last year
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he Health Agency has asked residents to be on the alert for the spread of dengue fever, though the rate of incidence was much lower in January and February this year than it was over the same period last year.
Dengue fever is a disease carried by an Aedes aegypti mosquito. It takes between four and 10 days for symptoms to manifest after a person has been bitten by a disease-carrying mosquito. The most common signs are high fever, severe headache, nausea, swollen glands and joint pain.
Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama and his son, Daud Albeener, have both come down with dengue fever and are resting at home in Pluit, North Jakarta.
According to data from the agency, cases of dengue in January and February this year have decreased to 932 from last year's total of 1,932. Five people died in the two-month span in 2014, and five have also died this year.
Widyastuti, head of health control at the agency, said the significant drop was mainly due to the weather.
'These days, the rain stops but starts again several days later. It is often uncertain,' Widyastuti told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Wednesday.
South Jakarta accounted for the highest incidence rate, at 14.23 cases per 100,000 people, followed by West Jakarta at 10.04, Central Jakarta at 7.55, North Jakarta at 7.04 and East Jakarta at 6.05. The incidence rate is the number of at-risk persons per 100,000 in a given time period.
'Although the number of dengue cases is low right now, there is a chance it might increase in the following months. Therefore, residents must not let their guard down,' Widyastuti said.
Meanwhile, Budhi Asih General Hospital president director Ida Bagus Nyoman Banjar revealed that dengue fever cases had declined at his hospital, which is in East Jakarta.
'In January and February last year, we had a total of 162 dengue patients. This year, over the same two months we have had 111,' Banjar told the Post over the phone recently.
Further, Widyastuti urged residents to follow the 3M guidelines, which stands for mengubur (burying), menguras (draining) and menutup (covering). The three strategies help reduce the amount of standing water where mosquitoes breed. The movement is part of PSN (Pemberantasan Sarang Nyamuk), a campaign to eradicate mosquitoes.
'3M is one of the most effective strategies [for preventing dengue fever], so the mosquitoes have nowhere to spawn. It should not only be conducted in homesm but also in offices and restaurants. Residents can help greatly by putting Abate larvicide powder in their home water containers,' Kusmedi said.
She went on to say that such the three recommended measures should be carried out at least once a week.
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'Although the number of dengue cases is low right now, there is a chance it might increase in the following months.'
