No funds left for dengue<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Several days have passed since the dengue fever outbreak was
\ndeclared an extraordinary occurrence, but the government still
\nhas failed to secure emergency funds to help local governments
\nfight the disease, which has now claimed 188 lives.<\/p>\n
Minister of Health Ahmad Sujudi said on Thursday the ministry
\nhad already spent its entire emergency budget of Rp 6 billion
\n(US$705,882) on the purchase of insecticides, which had been
\ndistributed to local governments.<\/p>\n
Sujudi said the ministry no longer had funds to tackle the
\noutbreak and would appeal for more money.<\/p>\n
\"Currently, we are proposing Rp 150 billion ($17.85 million)
\nin emergency funds. However, if possible, we will ask for double
\nthat amount because we also need money to handle other things,
\nincluding natural disasters,\" Sujudi said after a limited
\nministerial meeting led by Coordinating Minister for People's
\nWelfare Jusuf Kalla here.<\/p>\n
The government officially declared on Monday the outbreak an
\nextraordinary occurrence, meaning extra measures were needed to
\ncontain the disease.<\/p>\n
The death toll and the number of infected people have
\ncontinued to rise since the announcement on Monday.<\/p>\n
As of Thursday, 9,365 people had been infected with dengue
\nfever across the country. The health ministry expects the number
\nof cases and the death toll to increase in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Sujudi acknowledged the ministry had failed to educate the
\npublic on how to prevent dengue fever, resulting in a repeat of
\nthe five-year cycle of the disease.<\/p>\n
\"Unfortunately, our efforts to disseminate information on
\ndengue fever were not intensive enough to eradicate this disease.
\nPeople also tend to forget the steps we taught them, such as 3M,\"
\nthe minister said.<\/p>\n
3M stands for \"Menguras\", \"Menutup\" and \"Mengubur\",
\nin reference to three actions that can prevent the aedes aegypti
\nmosquito, which carries the dengue virus, from breeding.<\/p>\n
These three actions are respectively draining open tanks,
\ncovering bathing water and burying used cans.<\/p>\n
However, Kalla said now was not the time to cast blame for the
\ncurrent outbreak. He said the government and the public had to
\nwork together to tackle the disease.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he said the government set a Feb. 23 deadline for
\nthe start of a nationwide cleanup campaign. That day coincides
\nwith the Islamic New Year holiday.<\/p>\n
\"We will declare war on mosquitoes, which is the only way to
\nprevent the disease from spreading,\" Kalla said.<\/p>\n
He said the government needed the help of the public to make
\nthe campaign a success.<\/p>\n
In Cirebon, West Java, the death toll from dengue fever
\nreached 13 as of Thursday. However, the head of the local Animal
\nRelated Disease Eradication Office, Mahbub, said the death toll
\nhad been steadily decreasing over the past few weeks.<\/p>\n
In the East Nusa Tenggara capital of Kupang, 213 more people
\nwere admitted to Prof. Dr. WZ Yohanis General Hospital with
\ndengue fever.<\/p>\n
The disease first began spreading in the province four months
\nago and has infected 1,000 people, killing 11. Most of those
\ninfected have been children under the age of five.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-funds-left-for-dengue-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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