Chikungunya spreads in five regencies in Central Java
Chikungunya spreads in five regencies in Central Java
Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang
The widespread perception that Chikungunya disease, similar to
dengue but not fatal, hits sporadically certain regions in the
country is apparently untrue.
An official said on Friday that the disease spread in five
regencies in Central Java alone last year.
Budihardjo, deputy head of the Central Java provincial health
office, revealed that 368 people were infected with the disease
in Klaten regency, 246 in Sragen, 108 in Tegal, 92 in Boyolali
and six in Purbalingga.
Central Java comprises 35 regencies/municipalities.
"Similar cases were also reported in other parts of Central
Java province, but the number was small," said Budihardjo.
He added that, early this year, the health office also
received reports that the disease had started again to spread to
some areas in the province.
He did not spell out the number of people infected with the
disease this year, saying that his office was following up the
reports.
He explained that the disease was not fatal, but it was
painful and lasted for five to 10 days.
"People infected with the disease have to take rest and
consume highly nutritious food in order that they quickly
recover," he said.
Chikungunya is contracted through a mosquito bite and is
characterized by an extremely high fever, but differs from dengue
in its symptoms of severe joint pain (arthralgia), which lasts up
to a week. The disease is spread by the Aedes albopictus
mosquito, which carries the Chikungunya virus.
The first reported case of Chikungunya was in 1952 in
Tanzania. In Indonesia, the first reported case was in 1973 in
Samarinda, East Kalimantan. It spread to Kuala Tungkal, Jambi
province, in 1980 and to Yogyakarta, Martapura and Ternate in
1983. Various cases have been reported recently in Cirebon and
Bandung, West Java province, and the latest report was last week
in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta.
On the same occasion, Budihardjo revealed that, besides
Chikungunya, dengue was also a cause for concern for the Central
Java health office.
Dengue infected 8,515 residents in Central Java last year and
spread to 560 subdistricts in 29 regencies/municipalities in the
province. "Some 2.18 percent of the total infected residents died
last year due to dengue," said Budihardjo.
The number of people contracting dengue last year was much
greater than those with the disease in 2002, who numbered 6,483.
In order to prevent the disease spreading again in the
province this year, the office will intensify fumigation in some
places suspected of being breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti
mosquito, the carrier of the dengue virus.