Officials issue warning on dengue

TANGERANG (JP): Officials raised alarm over a possible outbreak of dengue fever from March to June, as this coming rainy season was a suitable medium for the infectious disease.

"We can prevent this disease if we take precautionary measures right from the beginning," Nuriman Machjudin, head of the Tangerang health agency, said on Monday.

Residents should be wary of items that collect clean water which becomes stagnant, as it is sustainable for the breeding of the aedes mosquito, the carrier of the dengue virus. "Bury cans and garbage and ask to fog the area with pesticide," he said, adding that mosquitoes lay eggs on the surface of clean water.

Data at the Tangerang General Hospital shows that three patients have been treated for dengue fever since Jan. 13. (41/edt)