Dengue outbreak kills five

JEPARA, Central Java: At least five children have died from dengue fever here in February, while 15 others were hospitalized and reportedly in critical condition.

The regency's health agency chief, Gunawan W, revealed on Friday that dengue fever has affected 20 villages in three districts, namely Bangsri, Mlonggo and Jepara.

The fatalities were Rika, Didot, Viviayu Damayanti, Dian Agustina and Asmelia. They were aged from three to 14 years old.

Director of Kartini state hospital Imam Supandi said that many parents were too late admitting their children had symptoms of dengue. "Most parents played down the high fever suffered by their children," he said.

Official data recorded that the disease killed 15 children in 1998, three times higher than the previous year. (har/edt)