City wants to reprimand embassies

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration asked the central government on Tuesday to urge embassies in the capital to cooperate in efforts to curb a dengue fever outbreak.

"Since the central government, in this case the Ministry of Health, has declared that the spread of dengue fever has reached an alarming level, the authority to reprimand the embassies is in the hands of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Central Jakarta Mayor Muhayat told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Central Jakarta hosts many of the embassies in the capital.

Governor Sutiyoso earlier complained that many embassies were reluctant to join the administration's efforts to fight the dengue outbreak.

"I have received reports that some state officials also refused to open their doors when our officers came to fumigate or make door-to-door checks," the governor remarked.

Sutiyoso said such a lack of cooperation was a violation of Law No. 4/1984 on communicable diseases, which calls for a maximum punishment of one year in prison and/or a Rp 1 million (US$112) fine for those who impede the government's efforts to fight disease outbreaks.

The administration has deployed health officers to fumigate areas where dengue fever cases have been reported, and to disseminate information on dengue and go door-to-door to check that residents are taking preventative measures to stop the spread of the disease.

Fumigation is necessary to kill the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that transmit the dengue fever virus. Preventive measures, including covering, cleaning and burying all items that could hold standing water, are meant to stop the mosquito from breeding and kill the larvae.

Sutiyoso slammed those who had failed to cooperate with the administration's efforts to fight the outbreak, saying they put the whole operation in jeopardy.

"If this lack of cooperation continues, we will drag them into court," he said.

The dengue fever outbreak is expected to continue for the next three months. So far, 18 people have died of the disease.

The central government announced an extraordinary occurrence of dengue fever in 12 provinces and allocated Rp 500 million in cash and medicine for each of the local administrations.

A report from the health ministry said at least 5,500 people across the country had contracted dengue fever since January, with 120 deaths.