Malaria outbreak called extraordinary emergency

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta

The government is still struggling to contain a malaria outbreak in three provinces where an extraordinary emergency was declared last week.

Last Wednesday the government declared a state of high alert in West Java, Riau and Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam after malaria claimed 12 lives and affected 1,281 others there.

An extraordinary emergency is declared when the number of patients affected by malaria is double the figure recorded in the previous year. It requires the government to deploy all resources, including funds, to help the affected local government confine the outbreak.

Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi said on Tuesday that two villages in West Java, one village in Riau and nine villages in Aceh, were considered critical areas.

The two villages in West Java are Kertajaya in Simpenan district and Langkapjaya in Lengkong district, both in Sukabumi regency.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, so far 1,107 residents of the two villages have been affected by the disease, nine of whom have died.

In Riau, ministry data shows that 132 residents in Tanjung Batu village in Buru district have contracted malaria, three of whom have died.

In Aceh, although the disease has not claimed any lives, 42 residents of nine villages have tested positive for malaria.

Health minister Achmad Sujudi said the government had taken immediate measures to control the outbreak in the three provinces, including fogging to eliminate mosquitoes, establishing crisis centers, and conducting rapid diagnostic tests and mass treatment.

The government has also distributed across West Java 1,000 mosquito nets, 1,000 boxes of diagnostic equipment, 1,200 ampules of artemisin, 6,000 artesunate tablets and 5,760 amodiaquin tablets.

For Riau, besides distributing 25 boxes of diagnostic test kits, the government provided free treatment for malaria patients at Karimun General Hospital.

In Aceh, not only did the government provide mass treatment, but also trained 80 percent of residents of nine villages to cope with the outbreak.

"We'll continue to provide assistance so as to prevent the disease from spreading further," said Sujudi.

Some 16,771 malaria cases have also been detected in Papua and some 206 in Cibalong district in Garut, West Java, from January until now, but no deaths have been reported thus far.

Sujudi called on the public to be aware that malaria was endemic in the country.

"Therefore people should not panic as we've been providing continuous assistance even in areas that are not so badly affected by the outbreak," said Sujudi.

Carried by the anopheles mosquito, the disease can spread fast in densely forested and swampy locations, such as coastal and mountain areas, and in areas where rainfall is high.

Earlier this month the government lifted the extraordinary alert status in 12 provinces affected by a dengue outbreak since February.