'Chikungunya' infects more than 500 in Yogyakarta
'Chikungunya' infects more than 500 in Yogyakarta
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Chikungunya, a disease that spread through West Java towns
recently, has infected hundreds of people across Yogyakarta
province since last December, local health officials said on
Wednesday. No deaths have been reported, however.
The head of the province's health office, Azimah Adib, said
more than 400 cases of chikungunya, also locally known as
dingkulen, have been recorded in Bantul regency.
The disease has also infected more than 250 people in the
municipality of Yogyakarta since January, she added.
"So far we have received reports of chikungunya only from the
two regions. No similar cases have been reported in the other
three regencies of Kulonprogo, Sleman and Gunungkidul," Azimah
told The Jakarta Post.
The head of Yogyakarta's health office, Choirul Anwar,
confirmed the spread of chikungunya in his jurisdiction,
particularly those adjacent to neighboring Bantul.
"Of the infected 150 victims, 55 are residents of Tegalgendu
village (Kotagede subdistrict) and 64 live in Pakuncen village
(Wirobrajan subdistrict)," he told a news conference.
The other sufferers live in several other villages in the two
subdistricts, Choirul added.
He said chikungunya was not new to Yogyakarta. The first
reported cases occurred in the ancient city in 1983, with more
than 200 villagers from Kotagede and Wirobrajan affected.
"Many believe it is a common disease that reoccurs every 20
years," Choirul said.
The disease is not as mysterious as people think despite the
fact that no cure has been found, he said.
Azimah concurred, saying chikungunya was identified as a
nonlethal disease that was far less dangerous than dengue fever.
To manage the disease carried by the Aedes albopictus
mosquito, she suggested patients take fever-reducing medicine,
pain killers and vitamins to increase their stamina.
"The most effective way to deal with the problem is to cut the
chain of life of the carrier, the mosquitoes," Choirul added.
He said efforts to fight the disease should be widespread and
simultaneous, especially regarding the high mobility of the
people as well as the mosquitoes' ability to fly within a radius
of 200 meters.
"Partial efforts would be meaningless," Choirul said.
He said the symptoms of chikungunya included between four and
five days of continuous fever and severe muscle and joint pain.
In severe cases, it could leave sufferers unable to walk.
Azimah said the local administration had taken anticipatory
steps to prevent further spread of the disease by focusing on
eradicating Aedes Albopictus mosquito.
"Chikungunya is basically a limited disease and a person could
recover within seven days, or months if a person is not healthy
to begin with," she said.
She said that the first reported case of chikungunya was in
1952 in Tanzania. The word chikungunya is derived from the
Swahili language and loosely means something that causes
stiffness.
In Indonesia, the first reported case of chikungunya was in
1973 in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. It spread to Kuala Tungkal in
Jambi province in 1980 and to Yogyakarta, Martapura and Ternate
in 1983.
In 2001, the disease afflict people in Muara Enim in South
Sumatra, Aceh, and Bogor in West Java.
Last year, the disease spread to the West Java town of Bekasi
and the Central Java towns of Purworejo and Klaten.
More than 70 cases were reported last week in Cirebon, West
Java, after over 230 cases had been reported in Bandung since
December.