Beware of killer fly

Beware of killer fly

JAKARTA (JP): The Chief of the North Jakarta Health Authorities is warning residents to be on the lookout for a fly that causes hemorrhage fever.

Sonny L. Tobing said the killer fly, also known by its Latin name aedes aegypti, generally breeds in clean, still water between the rainy and dry seasons.

He suggests a periodic cleaning of all open water containers to prevent the fly from nesting and breeding.

Even the smallest pots of water, such as a pet's water dish, should be cleansed regularly, he said to Antara.

Some 118 people in North Jakarta contracted hemorrhage fever last year, with two fatalities, Sonny said. In all Jakarta, there were 1,222 cases and 21 fatalities last year.

Sonny said residents should be particularly careful this year because the outbreak of the fever normally follows a five-year cycle and the last major outbreak in Jakarta was in 1990. (emb)