Dengue cases up, PMI urges people to give blood
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As the current dengue fever outbreak is predicted to continue for the next three months, people who intend to donate blood are being asked to leave their phone numbers with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) offices to anticipate a possible shortage of blood.
"We need not only impulsive donors, but also people who can be reached anytime we need their particular type of blood," PMI chairman Mar'ie Muhammad said on Sunday after visiting several hospitals in Jakarta.
He explained that dengue patients may need blood transfusions due to the drop in their thrombocyte or blood platelet levels. However, he added, that the blood used for dengue patients can only last for three days so an abundant supply would not be the solution.
Spokesperson for PMI Jakarta, Ria Thahir, said that her office lacked certain types of blood.
She said that on normal days, the demand for blood at her office reached only an average of 10 packs per day, but during the outbreak it reached 16 to 17 packs.
"Blood demand has risen by 70 percent every day. We have run out of several types of blood in the last few weeks. For example, today we have no type A blood, and only have five packs each for type B and type AB blood, plus we have 20 packs of type 0 blood," Ria said.
The central government has announced an extraordinary occurrence of dengue fever in 12 provinces affected by the dengue outbreak and allocated Rp 500 million (US$54,600) in cash and medicine for each of the local administrations.
As of Sunday, at least 1,952 people in Jakarta had contracted dengue since the beginning of the year, including 18 people who have died. Two days earlier, the figure was 1,780.
However, the number of fatalities is half that of the same period last year, when over 80 people died.
In Bekasi, the latest figure was 188, including five deaths. In January, only 20 people were treated for dengue fever.
The Jakarta administration expressed concern that Bekasi, a part of West Java provincial administration that borders the capital, should be put on the list of areas with an extraordinary occurrence of dengue.
The Ministry of Health recorded that at least 5,500 people across the country have contracted dengue with over 120 deaths since January.
Data from several regions shows an increasing number of patients.
Dengue fever was first recorded in 1968 in Surabaya and Jakarta, when it killed 24 people.
Dengue fever outbreaks have shown a rising trend between 1999 and 2004, with the most virulent DEN-3 serotype blamed for the major outbreak in the first six months of last year, during which 59,321 cases and 669 deaths were recorded in 24 out of 32 provinces.
Interested blood donors in Greater Jakarta can call (021) 3906666 or 3908422 to leave their contact numbers, or come directly to the PMI Jakarta office in Jl. Kramat Raya 47, Central Jakarta.