Dengue cases double in four days
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The number of dengue fever cases in Jakarta jumped from 263 cases on Tuesday to 400 cases on Saturday, an official said.
The Jakarta health agency spokesman Evy Zelfino said on Saturday that the total number of cases since December was 835, while two patients have died.
"The number of dengue fever cases always increases in the rainy season. After the floods in the coming weeks, the figure can jump to an alarming level because the standing water is a breeding place for the mosquito and bacteria of other flood-borne diseases, such as diarrhea and leptospirosis," she told The Jakarta Post.
Evy explained that a pattern of the endemic every December to March, is when Jakarta is heavily inundated with water.
The health agency recorded around 18,000 cases of dengue from December 2003 to March 2004, with about 82 deaths, mostly children. The highest number of cases occurred in February and March, in which over 5,000 people contracted the disease.
The agency's data also showed that during the same period for dengue cases in Greater Jakarta hit a high of 15,360 in 1998, 3,998 in 1999, 8,729 in 2000, 8,820 in 2001, and 5,750 in 2002.
In an effort to curb the exposure of the disease, the agency encouraged residents to drain water tanks, cover tubs and bury used cans, and to fumigate the neighborhood once a week.
"We have also conducted mapping all areas in the capital according to its status so that we can concentrate on prevention and medication measures," Evy added.
Dengue fever is transmitted by Aedes aegypty mosquito, which is active during daylight hours and can be identified by the black and white stripes on its legs.
The symptoms include a fever of more than 38 Celsius degrees that lasts between two and seven days, headaches, severe joint pain, nausea and skin rashes.
The incubation period for the disease is between eight and 10 days for adults, and six days for children. There is no vaccine or chemical prophylaxis available against dengue.
Leptospirosis is a disease, which bacteria is transmitted through the urine of rats and domesticated animals. The patients display various symptoms, including a prolonged fever, yellowish eyes and fatigue, which requires immediate treatment.
The health agency has classified three subdistricts -- Pondok Pinang and Kebayoran Lama in South Jakarta, and Kayu Manis in Central Jakarta -- as red status, while 70 others as yellow status. Red status means three or four people have dengue fever, and/or at least one person has died in the last three weeks in the area, while yellow status means one or two people have dengue.
The agency had also ordered hospitals to check the blood of patients who have a fever so that they could be treated with proper medication immediately, Evy said.