“We predict that the risk of dengue fever will increase in the coming days and weeks during the rainy season in early 2019,” Jakarta Health Agency head Widyastuti said.
Jakarta has entered a dengue fever extraordinary situation (KLB) alert period that will last until March.
“We predict that the risk of dengue fever will increase in the coming days and weeks during the rainy season in early 2019,” Jakarta Health Agency head Widyastuti said in a press statement on Sunday.
Widyastuti said that the areas categorized as having the highest probability of dengue fever incidents during the alert period in January were West Jakarta, South Jakarta and East Jakarta.
“In February and March, all areas throughout the city will be categorized as under alert," she said, as quoted by kompas.com.
She explained that the amount of rainfall and climate change had immensely influenced the growth of Aedes aegypti, the type of mosquito that transmits the dengue fever virus.
According to the agency’s 2018 data, 2,947 dengue cases were reported in Jakarta with an incidence rate (IR) of 28.15 per 100,000 people. The agency recorded two deaths, equating to a 0.07 percent fatality rate (CFR).
In 2018, the area with the highest IR in Jakarta was Thousand Islands at 41.4, followed by West Jakarta with 37.
Meanwhile, the agency recorded 3,362 dengue fever cases, an IR of 32.41, and one death, equal to a 0.03 CFR, in 2017.
According to the agency’s web-based surveillance, 111 dengue cases, equal to 1 IR, have been reported as of Sunday. No deaths have been reported.
The dengue probability prediction is based on 2019’s relative humidity, which indicates a probability, above 75 percent, of Aedes aegypti growth in the area.
The dengue probability predictions for February and March based on relative humidity in five areas of Jakarta are:
East Jakarta: 81 percent
South Jakarta: 80 percent
West Jakarta: 79 percent
Central Jakarta: 77 percent
North Jakarta: 77 percent
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