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)