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Dengue outbreak shows no signs of abating as toll rises
The number of cases and deaths have both increased as outbreaks of the mosquito-borne disease continue to spread across the country, with at least 14,100 new cases reported nationwide last week.
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A volunteer fumigates a church on April 19, 2024 in Surakarta, Central Java, as part of the city administration’s efforts to prevent the spread of dengue fever. (Antara/Mohammad Ayudha)
T
he number of dengue-related deaths continues to increase nationwide as warmer weather due to El Niño and climate change accelerates the spread of the mosquito-borne disease across the archipelago.
As of Friday, the Health Ministry had recorded 540 deaths attributed to dengue between Jan. 1 to April 21, triple the 180 deaths it reported during the same period last year.
The dengue caseload has also continued to rise and has surpassed 76,100 incidences, with 14,100 new cases reported in the past week.
Banten’s Tangerang regency and the West Java city of Bandung have the highest number of recorded dengue cases at respectively 2,540 and 1,741.
West Java’s Bandung regency and Central Java’s Jepara regency have reported the highest tolls of 25 and 21 dengue-related deaths, respectively.
The ministry has blamed the recent outbreak on climate change and the El Niño weather phenomenon resulting in higher temperatures as well as high rainfall and humidity. Such conditions have sped up mosquito breeding and allowed them to develop faster and live longer.
Warmer temperatures have also accelerated virus reproduction in infected mosquitoes and increased the frequency of mosquito bites, which have helped the insects to more quickly and efficiently spread the dengue virus.
