Dengue fever a clear and present danger<\/p>\n
The number of fatal cases of dengue fever has increased this
\nyear, causing the government to look at new approaches for
\ndisease prevention and mosquito control. Correspondent Iman
\nDwianto Nugroho looks into why there is an increased incidence of
\nthe disease in Surabaya city and what the government is doing
\nabout it.<\/p>\n
Children and young adults have taken up many of the beds in
\nSurabaya's hospitals from January to August. From a severe
\nheadache to the sudden onset of fever, the disease has gradually
\nweakened them.<\/p>\n
\"My nephew is suffering from dengue fever,\" said Suminah. Her
\nfeeling of helplessness is shared by countless others whose loved
\nones are hospitalized across the city.<\/p>\n
Dengue fever is caused by the dengue virus, which is
\ntransmitted by the day-biting Aedes aegypti mosquito. Children
\nare particularly vulnerable to the disease.<\/p>\n
Surabaya Health Office records show that 1,200 patients were
\ntreated for the disease in the city from January to August,
\nincluding Dr. Soetomo General Hospital and Dr. Soewandhi
\nHospital, where dengue patients are generally referred to.<\/p>\n
\"The figure will probably continue to rise,\" head of the
\nDisease Prevention and Eradication department of the city's
\nhealth office Dr. Slamet Santoso told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The health office initially estimated the number of dengue
\nfever patients was not that high due to the recurring nature of
\nthe disease, usually widespread in March and April.<\/p>\n
In 2004, for instance, the number of sufferers in March
\nreached 633 people. However, the number dropped in May to 32
\npatients. Nine people died of the disease that year.<\/p>\n
\"The figure in 2005 is way beyond our estimates,\" said Slamet.
\nThe number of people with dengue fever, which first infested
\nSurabaya in 1968, rose significantly over the months. In January,
\n74 dengue patients were hospitalized. The number had increased by
\nMarch to 183 patients. In May, the number dropped to 167 cases.
\nBut the death toll escalated to more than 100 percent, with 20
\nfatalities between January and August.<\/p>\n
The disease has spread throughout the 31 districts of
\nSurabaya, 22 of which are considered to be the sources of the
\nepidemic.<\/p>\n
\"The 20 patients who died are from 12 districts,\" said Slamet.
\nThe local health office has classified the outbreak in Surabaya
\nas \"extraordinary\". It is using fumigation to eradicate the
\nmosquitoes, operating 24-hour posts at six community health
\ncenters and monitoring the outbreak with 53 other health centers.
\nPatients have access to free medical treatment.<\/p>\n
However, the efforts have not reduced the number of dengue
\nfever cases. An employee at Dr. Muhammad Soewandhie Hospital,
\nSulastri, said new patients were being admitted to the hospital
\nweekly.<\/p>\n
\"Another patient died last week,\" she told the Post.<\/p>\n
One theory is that the increased number of dengue cases in
\nSurabaya this year is due to a new strain of the virus.<\/p>\n
Test results from the Tropical Disease Center (TDC) of
\nAirlangga University (Unair) in Surabaya show that the dengue
\nvirus was found in the eggs of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.<\/p>\n
Head of TDC analysis Prof. Dr. Soegeng Soegijanto said that
\nthe dengue virus scourge in Surabaya was now considered
\nmalevolent.<\/p>\n
\"This is shown by the number of those who have died from the
\ndisease,\" said Soegeng.<\/p>\n
However, the analysis indicating the presence of genetical
\nmutations has not been used to curb the disease, as shown by the
\ngovernment in the emphasis it continues to place on fumigation as
\na prevention method.<\/p>\n
From the sum of Rp 3.8 billion (US$400,000) earmarked to
\nprevent and eradicate diseases in Surabaya, Rp 2.8 billion of it
\nhas been allocated for dengue fever prevention. Of that amount,
\nRp 1.1 billion has been used to buy the Malathion and Abate brand
\nof insecticide.<\/p>\n
Fumigation, however, appears to have been a waste of time.
\n\"Perhaps, the mosquitoes are already immune to the commonly used
\nMalathion and Abate insecticide,\" Soegeng said.<\/p>\n
An Aedes aegypti mosquito has a life cycle of around 12 days.
\nUpon adulthood, female mosquitoes are able to mature their eggs
\nthrough the human blood they suck.<\/p>\n
They lay their eggs in stationary and clean water. Therefore,
\nthe best way to prevent them from breeding is to cover and clean
\nwater containers periodically.<\/p>\n
Sulastri said that someone with dengue fever would usually
\nexperience Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) when his or her thrombosis
\nlevel would drop below 100,000 per cubic millimeter. However, a
\npatient with a thrombosis level of up to 148,000 per cubic
\nmillimeter could now suffer from DDS, as seen in patients in
\nSurabaya.<\/p>\n
\"Due to these reasons, the government has issued a policy
\nrequiring hospitals to treat patients if they exhibit the
\nsymptoms of the disease and their thrombosis levels are in the
\n150,000 per cubic millimeter region, complying with World Health
\nOrganization (WHO) standards,\" said Sulastri.<\/p>\n
In 1986, WHO published a diagnosis on dengue fever describing
\nan abrupt bout of high fever, which would last from two to seven
\ndays without any clear reasons.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dengue-fever-a-clear-and-present-danger-1447893297",
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