Dengue fever claims 762 lives in 2005

Dengue fever claims 762 lives in 2005

JAKARTA: Dengue fever has killed 762 people in Indonesia so far this year and infected some 62,000, a senior health ministry official said on Monday.

Ministry of Health director general for infectious disease, I Nyoman Kandun, provided the figures, warning the toll from the mosquito-borne disease could rise considerably in the next few months.

"The peak for dengue is around January and February," Kandun told AFP.

Indonesia faces annual outbreaks of dengue. It infected 74,621 people in 2004, killing 862 of them, data from the health ministry shows.

Kandun said the government was promoting environmental hygiene, including the elimination of possible breeding grounds for mosquitos. -- AFP