Dengue blamed for loss of award

JAMBI, Jambi: Recent outbreaks of dengue might be the reason why the city failed this year to gain the Adipura Kencana award for cleanliness, an official speculated.

Antara quoted city spokesman Kamil as saying on Saturday that there's actually no official explanation as to why the city lost this year's national contest for cleanliness.

"However, the dengue fever covering an area of 205 square kilometers might be the reason because one of the criteria for the Adipura Kencana award is the absence of contagious diseases such as dengue and diarrhea," he said.

Official figures show that eight of every 10,000 people in Jambi are affected by dengue fever. About 87 percent of the province is said to be at risk. (swe)