Upset public still demand fumigation to zap dengue<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The deadly dengue fever outbreak has led to a conflict between
\nresidents and the city administration over the necessity of
\nfumigation.<\/p>\n
While experts have repeatedly said that fumigation is not the
\nbest way to deal with dengue, residents continue to demand the
\nadministration fumigate their neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
\"City officials have never fumigated my house. I think that is
\nwhy my son is infected with dengue,\" said Yuli, whose 3-year-old
\nson is being treated at the city-run Budhi Asih Hospital in East
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Her comment was endorsed by other parents sitting with their
\nchildren in the hospital ward.<\/p>\n
The director general of communicable diseases at the Ministry
\nof Health, Umar Fahmi, has repeatedly said fumigation is not
\neffective in fighting dengue because it only kills adult
\nmosquitoes, not their larvae.<\/p>\n
He emphasized the importance of 3M -- draining open tanks,
\ncovering clean water and burying or disposing of used cans, which
\nare breeding locations for the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes the
\nspread dengue.<\/p>\n
But the health minister, Ahmad Sujudi, earlier announced the
\nministry had spent Rp 6 billion (US$714,286) to purchase
\ninsecticides for fumigation.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Health Agency has also spent much of its Rp 500
\nmillion dengue emergency fund from the ministry on the purchase
\nof spraying equipment.<\/p>\n
Agency spokeswoman Evy Zelfino, however, said there was not
\nenough money to fumigate all of the neighborhoods in the capital.<\/p>\n
\"Due to limited funds, we will only be able to fumigate those
\nareas that are most likely to be breeding places for the
\nmosquitoes,\" she said, adding that the priority was being placed
\non poorer neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
Legal Aid Foundation for Health chairman Iskandar Sitorus
\ncriticized the administration's slow reaction to the dengue fever
\noutbreak.<\/p>\n
Although the administration has employed 800 mosquito larvae
\nmonitoring officers to inform residents about the dangers of
\ndanger and how to prevent the disease, the number of infected
\npeople continues to rise.<\/p>\n
According to the health agency, the number of dengue patients
\nin hospitals has reached 3,541 since early this year, with 939
\nmore people admitted on Thursday. The number of fatalities has
\nreached 59.<\/p>\n
Some patients are being treated in hospital corridors because
\nof overcrowding.<\/p>\n
Umar stressed that as long as public awareness of the
\nimportance of proper sanitation remained low, the disease would
\ncontinue to infect people year after year.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/upset-public-still-demand-fumigation-to-zap-dengue-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}