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Dengue spread in Riau’s Rokan Hulu prompts extraordinary measures
Dengue fever in Rokan Hulu regency has spread widely, prompting the local administration to declare an Extraordinary Situation
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A man conducts fogging in Temanggung, Central Java, on Sept. 5 to reduce the population of mosquitoes amid a surge in the number of dengue cases. (Antara/Anis Efizudin)
Dengue fever in Rokan Hulu regency has spread widely, prompting the local administration to declare an Extraordinary Situation.
Rokan Hulu Health Agency head Grifino Dahlihardy said Thursday that dengue was first detected in Rambah district in November. The first two days of February saw 12 dengue cases detected in the regency of 568,000 people spread over 16 districts. In January alone, the agency recorded 66 cases.
“The number of cases is increasing. Yesterday we found eight new patients,” Grifino said.
The administration decided to raise the health threat status to Extraordinary Situation because the number was far higher than anything found in past records. In December 2015, the regency only recorded nine cases, he said. But in December last year, the number of cases reached 39.
In total, the regency dealt with 200 dengue cases in 2015 and 202 cases in 2016. “This year, in January alone we already have 66 new cases,” he said.
The extraordinary status will last 30 days and be extended if the situation in the regency does not improve. The last time the regency declared extraordinary status was in 2011.
The regency has distributed larvicide powder and mosquito nets in places where mosquitoes are populous. They have also provided a fogging service. (evi)
