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Dengue deaths spike almost threefold compared to last year
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A young patient is treated for dengue on Feb. 5, 2024, at Loekmono Hadi Regional General Hospital in Kudus, Central Java. The regency’s health authorities recorded a 25 percent increase in dengue patients from the previous month to 55 cases in January. (Antara/Yusuf Nugroho)
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ndonesia has seen almost three times as many deaths from dengue fever so far this year compared to the same period last year, as warmer weather triggered by the El Niño climate phenomenon drives up cases across the country.
The Health Ministry has discovered roughly 62,000 dengue cases with 475 deaths from January to mid-April, almost triple the 22,500 cases and 170 deaths during the same period last year.
In January this year alone, Indonesia saw 25,218 cases of dengue, the highest monthly rate in five years. Dengue-related deaths reached 191 in February, the highest number of monthly fatalities since January 2022.
The ministry has blamed the recent outbreak on a warmer rainy season caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon, which speeds up mosquitoes' life cycles, helping them grow faster and live longer.
Warmer temperatures also speed up virus reproduction in infected mosquitoes and increase the frequency of mosquito bites, allowing them to spread diseases more quickly.
Read also: Community’s role crucial in protecting families against dengue
The recent spike of cases has overwhelmed hospitals in several cities, forcing medical workers to treat patients in the hallway and to turn away sick people.
Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which are commonly found in places with tropical climates such as Indonesia.
