Dengue fever claims 29 lives

Dengue fever claims 29 lives

TANGERANG (JP): Twenty-nine of the 979 people admitted to the
Tangerang General Hospital with dengue fever between Jan. 1 and
May 1, died, a hospital official said yesterday.

The hospital's director, Sartil Arfan, told reporters that
those dead consisted of 17 from Tangerang, 11 Jakarta and one
from Bogor.

He said 30 out of every 100 dengue patients treated at the
hospital needed a blood transfusion.

Most of the patients were admitted in April, when the hospital
recorded between 20 and 40 admissions a day, he said, adding that
the disease was expected to peak next month.

The hospital has received Rp 130 million (US$16,250) from the
government to buy medical supplies. (ivy/41)