Dengue death toll hits 166<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The death toll in the dengue fever outbreak has reached 166 from
\nthe at least 8,135 people infected nationwide, as health
\nauthorities are struggling to identify the virus responsible for
\nthe rapid spread of the disease.<\/p>\n
Director General of Communicable Diseases Umar Fahmi said a
\ngovernment surveillance team had been conducting serotype tests
\nto determine the cause of the outbreak, which would enable the
\ngovernment to find proper measures to contain the disease.<\/p>\n
"The team is studying the possible existence of a new strain
\nof the dengue fever virus, which is different from the ones
\nresponsible for the outbreak last year," Fahmi said.<\/p>\n
The tests are being conducted at the Health Laboratory Center
\n(BLK) in four major cities in Indonesia: Jakarta, Palembang,
\nSurabaya and Makassar, and in university laboratories
\ncountrywide.<\/p>\n
Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are caused by one of
\nfour closely related, but antigenically distinct, virus serotypes
\n-- DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4 -- of the genus Flavivirus.<\/p>\n
Infection with one of these serotypes does not provide cross-
\nprotective immunity.<\/p>\n
Doctors treating patients in several provinces across the
\ncountry believe a new, more virulent subvariant virus sparked
\nthis year's outbreak.<\/p>\n
The head of arbovirology at the Ministry of Health, Rita
\nKusriastuti, said the possibility was there but it would take a
\nlong time to prove the suspicion.<\/p>\n
"It's like a complete mapping of the virus' genes. It would
\ntake a long time to complete such a complicated test," Rita said.<\/p>\n
She said the DEN-3 serotype was commonly found in previous
\noutbreaks and many people had become immune to the strain.<\/p>\n
An internist at Dr. Soetomo General Hospital in Surabaya,
\nNasronuddin, said different strains of the virus might be found
\nin different climates.<\/p>\n
The government has officially declared the current outbreak of
\ndengue fever an "extraordinary occurrence".<\/p>\n
Umar said the status required the government to pay extra
\nattention to the spread of the disease.<\/p>\n
"We have prepared a number of hospitals across the country and
\nwill treat dengue fever patients for free, especially in
\nJakarta," he said.<\/p>\n
Jakarta and East Java are the areas hardest hit by the dengue
\nfever outbreak, where infection cases account for half of the
\nnational figure.<\/p>\n
Dengue fever cases have shown an increasing trend over the
\npast four years, from 21,134 in 1999, 33,443 in 2000, 45,904 in
\n2001, 40,377 in 2002) to 50,131 in 2003.<\/p>\n
Separately, the head of communicable diseases of the
\nYogyakarta municipal health agency, Kuncoro Gunawan, said the
\nlocal government had alerted hundreds of community health centers
\nacross the town to give priority to dengue fever patients.<\/p>\n
The health agency has asked for Rp 1.6 billion (US$188,235) in
\nemergency funds to contain the disease.<\/p>",
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