Official warns of dengue outbreak

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)