Official warns of dengue outbreak

JAKARTA (JP): A city administration official warned on Tuesday of the possibility of another outbreak of dengue fever during the upcoming rainy season, which is expected to be marked by unusually heavy rainfall as a result of the La Nia weather phenomenon.

Zaenal Arifin, an assistant to the regional secretary, said after an outbreak of the disease hit the capital hard earlier this year that there was a possibility of a new epidemic as a result of the many damaged and derelict buildings in the capital.

"They have the potential to become breeding grounds for the aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads the dengue virus," Zaenal said.

To prevent a new outbreak, he urged city residents to undertake preventive measures which include keeping their surroundings clean.

He said that 10,583 people caught the disease between January and May this year, four times the figure for the whole of the previous year. Of those who contracted the disease, 116 died, he added. (hhr)