Posh folk not partial to mosquito spraying
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.