Dengue continues to grip Manado

MANADO, North Sulawesi: Dengue fever remains a major concern in the province with 41 children dying from the disease in 1999.

According to provincial health office records, 1,139 patients suffered from dengue last year.

Manado bore most of the victims with 982 cases recorded.

The fever was so prevalent that in the final two months of the year Manado was declared endemic to dengue.

Over 400 people suffered from the disease in Manado between November and December. Eighteen people reportedly died as a result.

The director of Manado General Hospital, W.J. Damopolii, said on Tuesday that most of the hospital's facilities were focused on helping patients with dengue.

He added that the hospital had also borrowed 100 beds from the local military command in anticipation of a wider epidemic.