12 dengue-hit provinces to get Rp 500m each

P.C. Naommy, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has earmarked Rp 6 billion (US$705,882) to fight dengue fever in the 12 provinces most affected by the disease.

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said on Friday that each of the provinces would get Rp 500 million to help intensify their dengue prevention programs.

Kalla said the money would be taken from the Rp 50 billion allotted for the national dengue prevention campaign.

The 12 provinces are: all six provinces on Java, Jambi, South Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, Aceh, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

The disease has killed at least 218 people and hospitalized 12,224 others in these provinces.

Dengue fever, which has plagued the country since early February, has hit 25 of the country's 34 provinces, with the death toll totaling 372 people. Some 24,500 others have been hospitalized. Jakarta has been hardest hit, with 8,727 patients and 61 dead.

Minister Kalla, Health Minister Achmad Sujudi and representatives of provincial health agencies met in Jakarta on Friday to draw up short- and long-term plans for providing medicine and for combating and preventing dengue fever across the country.

"The central government will also help with fumigation and distribution of Abate powder to kill mosquito larvae in infected areas," said Kalla.

Director of Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health Umar Fahmi Achmadi said earlier that fumigation was not effective.

The most important thing was to inspect and clean areas in and around people's homes that might be used as breeding places by mosquitoes, he said.

Open tanks must be drained, clean water covered and used or unused water containers such as bottles or cans disposed of, he said.

State Minister for the Environment Nabiel Makarim told The Jakarta Post earlier this week that he had urged Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso to pay more attention to some half-completed buildings scattered across the city, which could be used as breeding places for mosquitoes.

"There are several half-finished building sites that contain giant pools of water, a favorite place for mosquitoes to breed. No wonder dengue fever has become so bad in Jakarta these days," said Nabiel, who has already sent a letter to the governor concerning this matter.

"We have set a target of limiting dengue patients to no more than 35,000, with a mortality rate of less than 1 percent over the next three months," Minister Sujudi said.

The government also plans to revive the erstwhile Adipura environmental award for the city with the best sanitation status.

The award program is expected to stimulate cities to do their best to keep their areas clean.