Leptospirosis death toll up to 13, denied by agency<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Three more people succumbed to the fatal post-flood disease
\nleptospirosis, bringing the death toll to 13, even though the
\nCity Health Agency claimed that the figure was lower.<\/p>\n
Staff at the city-run Tarakan Hospital on Jl. Kyai Caringin,
\nCentral Jakarta, said that the three people died since Monday.<\/p>\n
\"One of them died just last night,\" one staff member, speaking
\non the condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Despite the hospital statement, the agency's emergency
\ndivision chief, Sri Henni Setyowati, maintained that the true
\nnumber of the fatalities was only 10, pointing to agency
\nstatistics since March 5.<\/p>\n
Most of the dead were elderly people.<\/p>\n
So far, the increasing number of dead does not seem to have
\nprompted the agency to handle the problem more seriously.<\/p>\n
Henni only urged the people to stay alert over leptospirosis,
\nwhich emerged after the floods, telling residents to keep healthy
\nand adhere to clean hygienic practices.<\/p>\n
\"People must stay alert for the disease, moreover, as the
\nmortality rate is increasing, reaching 20 percent,\" she told
\nreporters at the City Hall.<\/p>\n
Governor Sutiyoso announced earlier that leptospirosis
\nsufferers would receive free medical treatment at city-owned
\nhospitals, including the Tarakan Hospital, Pasar Rebo Hospital in
\nEast Jakarta, and Koja Hospital in North Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Henni said that the free treatment for leptospirosis patients
\nwould be financed by the agency's post-flood fund of Rp 4.3
\nbillion (US$430,000) from the 2002 City Budget.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso had ordered the agency to take firm action against
\nthe disease but, until today, there have been no clear measures.<\/p>\n
The agency has only called on people to keep their
\nneighborhoods clean.<\/p>\n
Residents took the initiative to kill rats in their
\nneighborhoods. The neighborhood chiefs even offered between Rp
\n1,000 and Rp 3,000 for each rat killed by residents.<\/p>\n
Sutiyoso had said that the administration did not allocate
\nfunds to finance the rat hunting.<\/p>\n
The disease spread after rats' habitats were deluged by the
\nmassive floods of January and February. Specifically, the urine
\nof rats contaminated water supplies and garbage which had piled
\nup during the floods.<\/p>\n
The leptospire bacteria enters a human body through wounded
\nskin, and causes symptoms including high fever and vomiting.<\/p>",
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