Dengue fever to peak in middle of this month<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever will peak in
\nthe middle of this month, with at least 43 subdistricts seen as
\nbeing the most prone to the disease, an official warned on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
The head of the Jakarta office of the Ministry of Health and
\nSocial Welfare, Dedy Ruswendy, said after meeting with Governor
\nSutiyoso at City Hall that most of the dengue fever-susceptible
\nsubdistricts were located in East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"They are former swamp areas and some of them have been
\ninundated after hours of rainfall,\" Dedy said, adding that the
\nrainy season was expected to reach its peak this month.<\/p>\n
Cases of the disease were reported in 55 subdistricts across
\nthe capital last year.<\/p>\n
The fever is carried by aedes aegypty mosquitoes, which lay
\ntheir eggs on the surface of still water. Because of this, areas
\nthat are inundated with rain are more likely to report cases of
\nthe disease.<\/p>\n
Dedy said 831 cases had been reported as of Friday, with 625
\nreported in January alone. Four people have died of the disease
\nso far. Two of them were being treated at Tarakan General
\nHospital in Central Jakarta, while the other two were being
\ntreated at Pasar Rebo Hospital in East Jakarta and Koja General
\nHospital in North Jakarta, respectively.<\/p>\n
Currently, 68 hospitals and 265 community health centers
\nacross the capital have been put on the alert for an outbreak of
\ndengue fever.<\/p>\n
Dedy said hospitals are not allowed to turn away dengue fever
\npatients, particularly those who are poor.<\/p>\n
\"Poor patients suffering from dengue fever should be exempt
\nfrom hospital charges, as long as they have documents showing
\nthey are residents of the subdistrict in question,\" Dedy said.<\/p>\n
Due to a lack of funding, the health office will only fumigate
\nthose areas where the disease has claimed lives.<\/p>\n
\"Fumigation is not that effective because it only kills adult
\nmosquitoes, while their eggs still carry the dengue virus,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He renewed calls on residents to close, periodically clean or
\nbury water containers in order to help prevent the disease. The
\ngovernment has stepped up its dengue fever prevention campaign,
\ncalled 3M, an acronym for scrubbing and closing household water
\ntanks and buckets, and burying old cans.<\/p>\n
A doctor at a community health center in Tebet, South Jakarta,
\nYosephin S. Sutanti, said dengue fever had not yet claimed a
\nsignificant number of victims.<\/p>\n
\"We have only found one or two patients every week, and most
\nof them are still in the first and second stages of the disease.
\nWe just give them medicine and order them to check their
\ncondition after three days of treatment,\" Yosephin said.<\/p>\n
She said the patients would require several blood tests, which
\ncost Rp 10,000 each.<\/p>\n
Yosephin said the community health center also provided
\nresidents a free-of-charge fogging service as a precautionary
\nmeasure.<\/p>\n
\"If the number of victims is increasing, we will fog the area
\nwith pesticide,\" she said, adding that residents could obtain a
\nsimilar service from private firms, which charge about Rp 5,000
\nper residence. (04\/07)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dengue-fever-to-peak-in-middle-of-this-month-1447893297",
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