Curbing dengue fever gets highest priority<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration is considering shelving
\n\"less urgent\" projects and using the money to finance efforts to
\ncurb a dengue fever outbreak expected to peak next month.<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso said over the weekend that he has ordered
\nhis deputies to identify such projects which could be postponed
\nin favor of dengue fever eradication campaigns.<\/p>\n
\"The number of people contracting the disease is increasing
\nevery day, while this fiscal year's city budget has to be slashed
\ndue to the economic crisis. We have to set priorities,\" he told
\njournalists.<\/p>\n
As of last Thursday, the death toll in the dengue outbreak had
\nreached 63 with another 7,526 people hospitalized. Official
\nstatistics show that 200 people have contracted the virus every
\nday over the past few weeks.<\/p>\n
Hospitals across the city have been overwhelmed with seemingly
\nendless admissions. Many patients have been treated in hospital
\ncorridors because beds are fully booked.<\/p>\n
The administration has sent mattresses to hospitals and public
\nhealth centers to accommodate the patients and has promised to
\nbuild \"temporary field hospitals\" if existing facilities could no
\nlonger treat the patients.<\/p>\n
The field-hospital concept would be implemented in cooperation
\nwith the Armed Forces. The facilities may be set up in vacant
\nspaces within hospital complexes.<\/p>\n
The administration also launched a mass movement for
\neradicating habitats of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the carrier of
\nthe dengue fever virus, last week.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso said he was disappointed because the public did not
\nfully support the campaign.<\/p>\n
\"It's important that residents join hands to combat the
\nepidemic and they should not rely solely on the government for
\nit,\" he said.<\/p>\n
City secretary Fauzi Bowo told reporters that, so far, the
\nadministration has allocated Rp 200 million (US$25,000) to
\nfinance dengue fever eradication campaigns.<\/p>\n
The money was taken from funds earmarked for emergency
\npurposes, he said.<\/p>\n
In Bogor, Regent Eddie Yoso Martadipura reported Saturday that
\nthe death toll in the dengue outbreak there has risen to 21 as of
\nFriday, up from 12 reported 10 days ago.<\/p>\n
The number of people hospitalized for the disease rose to 619
\nfrom 355 over the same period, he said.<\/p>\n
He has promised to look into reports that some government
\nofficials have charged residents money for mosquito fumigation.<\/p>\n
\"No official should add the people's burden at this time of
\ncrisis. I will find out who these individuals are,\" he said.
\n(ind\/24)<\/p>",
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