Anti-mosquito campaign to kickoff on Nov. 12
Anti-mosquito campaign to kickoff on Nov. 12
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Ambulance sirens, mosque drums and school and church bells will
be sounded starting Nov. 12 to remind Jakartans to participate in
the anti-mosquito campaign.
The campaign aims to curb the spread of dengue hemorrhagic
fever as the wet season draws near.
The alarm will be raised for 30 minutes from 9 a.m., said the
City Health Agency head Abdul Chalik Masulili on Wednesday.
During the 30 minutes, Jakartans are encouraged to carry out
three steps in exterminating mosquitoes -- known as 3M -- by
draining standing water, covering water tanks and burying or
disposing of used bottles and cans.
Such preventive measures are deemed more effective and cheaper
to combat the proliferation of mosquitoes than fumigating the
whole city.
The dengue virus is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito,
which lays its eggs on the surface of clean, still water.
The campaign will also be held at hotels, schools and offices,
Masulili said. "Office managers should tell their workers to
drain bathtubs, empty vases and dispose of used cans."
He realized that it would take time for residents to be aware
and familiar with the preventive measures to clean up the
environment.
"Even Cuba, from where we have adopted the anti-mosquito
campaign, needed one year to promote the campaign. They managed
to obliterate dengue fever cases up to zero percent within three
years of the campaign," he added.
Outbreaks of dengue fever have become annual occurrences in
Indonesia, especially during the transitional period from the dry
season to the wet season, which provides an ideal environment for
mosquitoes to breed.
In February and March, a dengue fever outbreak hit the capital
and claimed 83 lives. The number of fatalities was much higher
than last year's when 59 people died of the disease.
Health experts criticized the administration for failing to
prevent the outbreak. They pointed out that preventive measures,
such as cleanup campaigns, should be carried out throughout the
year and not only rely on fumigation efforts.