19 hospitalized as dengue fever hits N. Sulawesi

Yongker Rumthe, The Jakarta Post, Manado

Following hot on the heels of week-long rains, dengue fever has hit Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi, and other cities in the province leaving 19 people still undergoing intensive medical care in various hospitals throughout the region.

Deetje Londa, director of the Malalayang General Hospital in Manado, said that the hospital still had eight patients suffering from high fevers.

In December of last year, 45 people were hospitalized with dengue fever in the hospital, and one of them eventually died.

Deetje predicted that the number of dengue fevers sufferers could increase as outbreaks of the disease usually reached their peak between February and March. During this period last year, a total of 109 people contracted the disease and 10 of them later died.

"In other months, the number of dengue cases are normally only between 40 and 60," she stressed.

To anticipate a peak in the number of dengue cases, Deetje said a team had been set up to respond to dengue reports around- the-clock.

In a related development, the heavy rains left at least 96 homes inundated in West Kombos and Wowonasa districts. The rain also paralyzed Manado city as a number of streets were inundated to a depth of almost 60 centimeters, leaving hundreds of vehicles stranded.

Flooded homes were mostly located on the lower ground and some of them were already empty having been abandoned by their owners who had sought shelter elsewhere.

Truck driver Risman, who plies the Manado-Amurang route, said an emergency bridge traversing the Ranoyapo river had been damaged by the floods.

"We can no longer go to Amurang or Gorontalo because all the bridges are damaged or are in critical condition," Risman complained.

Provincial social affairs agency head Johny Runtu told reporters on Wednesday when inspecting the floods in Tomohon, some 37 kilometers from Manado, that some 6,000 people had fallen victim to the floods and landslides in several places throughout the province.

Of the 6,000 people, four people in Sangihe Talaud regency had died, with another person dying in Tomohon, Minahasa regency.

The worst hit regency, according to Runtu, was Sangihe Talaud.

However, the number of victims had yet to be confirmed as data was still being collected from other areas.

Johny added that aid from the provincial administration had been distributed to the affected locations. The aid included five tons of rice for Sangihe Talaud and Bolaang Mongondow regency, and two tons of rice for Minahasa regency.

Meanwhile, the administration was still awaiting a response from the central government to its request for a donation of 50 tons of rice and cash totaling Rp 200 million.

"We have sent a letter to the social affairs minister describing our situation right now. We need additional supplies for the victims and have asked the minister, if possible, to directly visit the locations concerned," Johny remarked.