While cases and deaths are lower nationwide, six regencies have declared dengue fever outbreaks from January to March with Sikka in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) reported the highest number of cases at 1,216 as of Wednesday. The Health Ministry’s director of vector and zoonotic infectious disease, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said the high number of cases in Sikka was caused by the poor handling of regency's preventive measures for eradicating mosquito breeding grounds, allowing uncontrolled population growth of the Aedes aegypti mosquito. “Many uncovered water reservoirs inside and outside the house. Puddles and plastic bottle waste are also common,” she said. She urged both the Sikka administration and residents to improve their awareness of the matter as the region kept reporting high numbers of cases in the past 10 years. The Health Ministry has recorded a total o...