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)