Dengue already kills 13

Dengue already kills 13

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Thirteen of the 630 patients treated for dengue fever in the province this month have died, head of the South Sumatra Health Office Anwar SKM, said.

Fourteen others died in December when the disease first broke out.

Anwar said that most of those who died received treatment too late because they were not brought to the hospital until their condition was serious, Antara reported.

"The average period for the disease process in anyone affected by dengue fever is between two and seven days," he said.

The disease is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito which can fly up to a range of 200 meters.

The local health office has already sprayed intensively in the 34 locations in South Sumatra believed to be most prone to dengue fever. (emb)