Posh folk not partial to mosquito spraying

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso complained on Friday that residents of upscale residential areas were not allowing officials to fumigate their neighborhoods to combat the mosquito-borne dengue fever.

As of Friday, more than 1,780 residents have been affected by dengue fever this year, leading to 17 deaths.

"Given the alarming situation, anyone who refuses to join the war against this disease could be accused of committing an offense," Sutiyoso said.

He was referring to Law No. 4/1984 on communicable diseases, which stipulates that anyone who impedes efforts to eradicate a disease outbreak could face a maximum punishment of one year in prison and/or a Rp 1 million (US$107) fine.

Sutiyoso said steps to combat the dengue fever outbreak would be ineffective unless the entire city joined the campaign.

City Health Agency spokeswoman Zelfino said residents of Menteng, Central Jakarta, and Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, were among those who had failed to cooperate with authorities in fighting the outbreak.

She said many residents were still unaware that clean and still water was the ideal breeding ground for the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the disease.

Zelfino also confirmed that despite promises to the contrary, some poor dengue fever patients were still being forced to pay for their hospitalization. However, she said this was because some of the patients were not diagnosed with dengue fever until they had already paid their bills.

"Only later after we perform blood tests do we find they were infected with the dengue virus," she said.

Doctors said some dengue fever patients did not display any of the typical symptoms of the disease, including a fever of more than 38 degrees Celsius, headaches, severe joint pain and nausea.

The city experienced its most severe dengue fever outbreak ever last year, with over 5,000 people infected and about 82 deaths.

The administration has allotted Rp 100 billion to curb the spread of the disease through an information campaign and the fumigation of areas most at risk of dengue.

The health agency also warned of an increase in the number of cases of diarrhea and leptospirosis, which is transmitted through bacteria in rat urine.

The agency confirmed at least 27 people had been treated for leptospirosis since January. No fatalities have been reported.

Sutiyoso promised the administration would cover the medical costs of poor people suffering from diarrhea or leptospirosis through a health scheme for poor families, although it was currently focusing on free treatment for dengue patients.