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mid worries over a spike in dengue fever cases, the Jakarta administration is using the power of the internet to ramp up its fight against the mosquito-borne viral infection.

The administration joined hands with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) to create a website named DBDklim that aims to raise awareness about dengue fever and serve as an early warning system for potential outbreaks. It can be accessed at dbdklim.bmkg.go.id.

The website shows predictions of potential increases in dengue fever cases in the city’s five municipalities based on the rainfall and humidity in each area, as well as data received from the Jakarta Health Agency.

Officially launched on Wednesday, it comes as Jakarta braces for increasing rainfall in the next two months, said Jakarta Health Agency head Widyastuti.

With many other regions across the capital raising an emergency status in response to the rising number of dengue fever cases, the agency has followed suit by placing the capital under alert status until March.

According to agency data, 813 cases of dengue fever emerged in Jakarta in January alone. South Jakarta tops the list with 277 cases, followed by West Jakarta with 230 cases.

DBDklim’s early warning system is color-coded. An area on its map that is colored in red indicates a high chance of an increasing number of cases, while yellow serves as a warning and green indicates a low risk of dengue fever.

The Health Agency was previously only able to create such a map by relying on incidence rates, or the number of dengue fever cases reported by hospitals and community health centers (Puskesmas).

Now, the data is added to information it receives on the changes in weather, which highly influences the growth of Aedes aegypti, the type of mosquito that transmits the dengue fever virus.

“The information is expected to help with policymaking for each municipality’s health agency, so actions can be taken as early as possible,” Widyastuti told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The website also provides several recommendations according to the predicted incidence rate, including by conducting epidemiology studies, disseminating information, carrying out mass sprinkling of antilarvae powder and raising awareness about the 3M prevention method of draining, keeping a water source sealed and recycling waste.

For yellow and red areas on the DBDklim map, focused fogging is also suggested.

However, the website can only provide a map on the municipality level, while predictions on a smaller scale, such as districts, can only be made from existing data on incidence rates collected by the Health Agency in the last three years.

As of Jan. 28, the five districts recording the highest incidence rates are Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, with an incident rate of 19.27 cases per 100,000 people; Kalideres, West Jakarta, with a rate of 16.94; Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, with 16.54; and in East Jakarta, Pasar Rebo with 13.93 and Cipayung, 13.57.

With the cases concentrated in several districts, health centers are expected to play a role in preventive efforts, Widyastuti added.

Bal’an Kamali Rangkuti, head of the Kebayoran Baru district health center, expressed hopes that the newly launched website could help prevent an outbreak.

“So far, we can only create a map based on the incidence rates, after the cases have occurred. With DBDKlim, we can predict the mosquito population growth so and fully control the environment,” he said.

Aside from DBDKlim, the city administration also launched Android-based application E-Jiwa to help residents stay aware of their mental health. Initiated by the Cilandak district health center in South Jakarta, the app asks 29 short questions to help identify the user’s mental state so they can take further action if needed.

Another web-based application launched on the same day was Jak-track, which aims to facilitate people with HIV/AIDS by providing online registration and scheduling platforms for clinic mentoring at health center. The application also allows residents to schedule an HIV test. (ars)