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.