Dengue outbreak kills five

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)