Dengue outbreak may affect new areas this year

JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Health warned on Wednesday that areas which did not have outbreaks of dengue last year may not be spared this year.

Director of the eradication of animal-source contagious diseases Thomas Suroso said an outbreak would likely happen in the transition from the rainy to dry season.

Also on Wednesday, it was reported that six children in Tegal, Central Java, and two in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, had died of dengue hemorrhagic fever.

Heavy rains are expected to increase over the next few months across the country, creating more pools of water for mosquitoes to breed in, including in areas unaffected by dengue last year, Thomas said referring to the aedes aegypti mosquito which carries the virus.

The ministry's 1998 data for dengue reveals that 14 out of the country's 27 provinces were the most affected: Jambi, Lampung, South Sumatra, West Sumatra, North Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, East Timor, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, Jakarta and West Java.

"It is possible that the remaining 13 provinces will experience outbreaks as heavy rains will leave water in pipes, gutters and any other breeding sites of the mosquitoes."

The aedes aegypti breeds in still, clean water.

The ministry's director general of communicable disease control Achmad Sujudi said that between January and April last year, 345 people died of dengue fever. There were 16,434 cases.

He did not mention which province had the most cases.

"In the same period of 1997, 68 people died out of 5,559 cases," he said.

"Simple things such as burying cans and trash, cleaning water sources and using insecticide will help curb mosquito breeding," Achmad said.

Minister of Health Farid Anfasa Moeloek also said the ministry would avoid fumigating to eradicate mosquito larvae, saying it was ineffective.

So far both fumigation and cleaning the home environment have been promoted to curb outbreaks of dengue.

"Fumigation has a strong chemical impact but mosquito larvae could become immune to it. So we urge simple methods of prevention, such as keeping places that they breed clean."

Besides, "Many irresponsible parties have taken advantage by charging people for fumigation, which is free."

In Tegal, Central Java, the health agency reported that as of Wednesday some 470 children suffered from dengue. Six of them had died.

"Most of the children died in their homes due to treatment that was sought too late. They were aged between one and three," Siti Rohmat of the health agency told The Jakarta Post.

She said lack of fumigant and medicines made it difficult for officials to control the illness.

"If we don't handle this soon, many more will suffer," Siti said.

Besides the six recent deaths, 36 others have died from dengue fever in Central Java over the past three months. It includes 18 deaths in Rembang, four in Demak, three in Kudus and two in Semarang.

In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, dozens of children have taken ill with dengue in the past two months.

"Since November, the Johannes hospital alone has had 42 dengue patients, aged between two and 10," Sammy Naley, head of the hospital's children care unit, said as quoted by Antara.

"Two died due to late treatment," he said. As of Wednesday, most of the hospital's 87 patients had dengue, he added. (har/edt)