Four people die from Dengue fever

Four people die from Dengue fever

JAKARTA (JP): Head of the City Health Office Soeharto Wirjowidagdo said yesterday that four people suffering from Dengue fever had died during the period between October, 1994, and January this year.

The four victims were among 377 people infected with the disease in the October-January period, he said, adding that two of the four died in October, one in November and the last one this month.

Soeharto urged Jakartans to participate in efforts to eliminate the disease, which is breaking out during the rainy season, by cleaning up mosquito breeding places at least once a week.

"This is the best way to combat the disease and I hope people will participate by cleaning water basins, court yards and burying unused objects," he said.

Soeharto explained that population density and unhygienic conditions were factors faced by the office in handling the disease.

Soeharto said that West Jakarta was particularly prone to the disease.

He said that to prevent the disease, which was first detected in Jakarta in 1968, the office had taken several steps, including public presentations on the disease, epidemiology surveillance and mass fumigation in 150 subdistricts which are prone to the illness.

"There are 30 cases of Dengue fever among 100,000 residents in those subdistricts," Suharto said, adding that the office was also monitoring the development of mosquito larvae in 100 houses in every subdistrict.

Data provided by the office shows that the number of people infected with the disease increased from 2,263 (of whom 19 died) in 1993 to 2,745 people (of whom 33 died) in 1994.

The data shows that the worst year was 1988, a year in which 10,647 people were infected with Dengue fever, and 111 people died from the disease.

The office also warned Jakartans to be on the alert against other diseases in the current rainy season, such as skin diseases, diarrhea and respiratory diseases.

"The number of people infected with those diseases is likely to increase during the current rainy season," Soeharto said. (yns)