Another crisis: Dengue fever<\/p>\n
Dengue fever is no stranger to Indonesia, but this year's
\noutbreak is said to be one of the most serious in recent history.
\nAt least 12 provinces are currently being affected by this killer
\ndisease. The latest government data reports that 207 people, out
\nof 7,585 hospitalized with the disease, have died. The figures
\nfar exceed last year's totals of 10 fatalities and 2,323
\nhospitalized.<\/p>\n
Jakarta, with its sprawling slum areas, has been the most
\naffected by the outbreak, hitting 261 of the city's 265
\nsubdistricts. At least 43 people have died and 2,993 others have
\nbeen hospitalized here since January.<\/p>\n
The ballooning number of people infected has forced some
\nhospitals to turn away people seeking medical attention because
\ntheir are already full. The number of dengue cases will surely
\nincrease drastically if the government and the public do not take
\nprompt measures to curb the spread of the aedes aegypti, the
\nmosquito which transmits the virus.<\/p>\n
In an effort to bring the outbreak under control, the minister
\nof health will kick off a national anti-dengue drive in East and
\nSouth Jakarta, the city's most affected areas. Unfortunately, the
\ncampaign faces several challenges which authorities must confront
\nwith a shortage of resources.<\/p>\n
A health official has said that mass fumigation operations
\nwould be largely ineffective in combating the disease's spread.
\nSuch fumigations only kill adult aedes mosquitoes, failing to
\nexterminate larva growing in stagnant water.<\/p>\n
Although a city health official has said there are 99
\nhospitals and 474 public health centers in Jakarta that are still
\nable to take in new patients, logistical problems persist for
\npeople looking for treatment.<\/p>\n
Some hospitals that are full might be uninformed where they
\nshould send patients they must turn away, while the public may
\nbecome panicked should it not be clear which institutions are
\nalready rejecting patients. Some dengue sufferers have been
\nreportedly taken to the hospital too late because relatives
\nmistook the symptoms for influenza, which creates a high fever
\nmuch like dengue. Many Indonesians simply lack the necessary
\nformation to detect dengue.<\/p>\n
A shortage of nurses also creates a problem, evident even at
\nthe Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, the country's largest medical
\nfacility. In treating this extraordinary outbreak, each nurse
\nthere has to take care of seven patients even though the ideal
\nratio is one nurse to three patients. The great influx of dengue
\npatients has also forced the hospital to accommodate them in
\nrooms designed for people suffering from other illnesses.<\/p>\n
Since this year's outbreak comes at a time of economic crisis,
\nwhich is pushing Indonesia back in time in its development
\nefforts, low-income dengue victims face the further hardship of
\nfinding ways to pay for medical expenses when it is already
\ndifficult to make ends meet. Health officials say that treating
\ndengue is comparatively more expensive than treating other
\ndiseases.<\/p>\n
The authorities need to see to it that all hospitals treat
\nlow-income patients free of charge, especially the jobless. Every
\nhospital in the country has a social program to help poor
\npatients receive treatment but many have complained that their
\nbudget cannot cope with the increasing number of poor people
\nseeking treatment.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/another-crisis-dengue-fever-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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