Dengue fever ramains a threat in Jakarta

Dengue fever ramains a threat in Jakarta

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dengue fever remains a threat in the capital especially when the
wet season is ending and the dry season begins. Since early this
month, new patients have been admitted to Cipto Mangunkusumo
General Hospital (RSCM) almost every single day.

Data from the hospital shows that from Monday to Saturday,
five patients of dengue fever have been treated at the hospital.

Sumiati, a nurse in charge at the internal medicine section at
the hospital, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that so far there
had been no fatalities this month.

Section head for surveillance and epidemiology at the city
health agency, Dr. Paripurna, announced last Wednesday that the
illness had claimed 13 lives in the last 13 weeks.

But he revealed that the total cases of 940 was far smaller
compared to a similar period last year which reached 3,465.

Data from RSCM shows that 26 patients of dengue fever were
treated at the hospital last month. They were among 437 cases of
dengue fever all over the capital.

Since dengue fever surfaced again in the capital in early
January, the number of cases reached a peak with 134 cases in the
third week of February, according to data issued by the city
health agency.

The number of cases slightly decreased to 107 in the fourth
week of February. But the number increased again in the first
three weeks of March to 109, 157 and 135 before finally dropping
to only 36 cases.

Despite the decreasing trend, Dr. Paripurna called on the
people to remain alert for dengue fever as it was still raining
in the capital.

The agency announced that dengue fever had been found in 42
districts throughout the city. The worst district is Tanjung
Priok, North Jakarta, with 59 cases followed by Kemayoran and
Sawah Besar in Central Jakarta; Palmerah, Grogol Petamburan,
Cengkareng, Taman Sari and Tambora in West Jakarta; Cilandak in
South Jakarta; and Jatinegara, Duren Sawit, Kramat Jati and Pulo
Gadung in East Jakarta.

Jakarta recorded 8,814 cases in 2001 with 22 deaths compared
to a total of 1,993 cases in 2000 which left 15 people dead.

Dengue fever is transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegypty
mosquito, which lays its eggs on the surface of clean water.
Because of this, areas that are inundated by rain are more likely
to report cases of the disease.