Postflood lethal disease kills eight

Postflood lethal disease kills eight

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

At least eight people have died following the recent floods as a
result of an infectious disease called leptospirosis, which is
carried by rats, an official said on Tuesday.

Head of the Jakarta Health Agency A. Chalik Masulili revealed
that the leptospire bacteria spread through the urine of rats,
whose habitat was destroyed by the floods.

Masulili said the bacteria then infected people who had skin
wounds when they came into contact with contaminated water and
garbage. Leptospirosis causes high fever and vomiting and has an
average incubation period of 10 days.

"Actually it is not a serious disease, but it can kill the
patients if they do not receive immediate treatment," he said in
a hearing with the City Council's Commission E for social welfare
affairs.

But, he said the mortality rate of the disease is relatively
high with an average of 7 percent for people under 50, and about
56 percent for people above 50.

He said that most victims received treatment too late because
they were not aware of the disease and thought it was just a
common fever.

The eight victims were among 17 people who have been receiving
treatment for the disease at the Cipto Mangunkusumo General
Hospital.

One of the eight victims, identified as Tarkim Juari, died in
the hospital on Feb. 14. The 55-year old man was a resident of
Kedaung Kali Angke, Cengkareng, West Jakarta, an area hit by the
recent floods.

Jakarta is the eighth province in the country where the
disease has spread after the floods. The other provinces include
West Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta.

The number of fatalities in other provinces due to the disease
in unknown.

Masulili said patients who suffered from the disease could be
cured with antibiotics, such as penicillin, streptomycin,
tetracycline or erythromycin.

"A high dosage of penicillin or tetracycline is the best
treatment," he suggested, adding that the city's 267 community
health centers have been informed of the disease and provided
with the medicines.

The health agency had been criticized for its inefficient
health policy and slow response to the health problems emerging
after the floods.

Masulili warned the public to be aware of the disease and to
take preventive measures, such as washing their hands and feet
with soap after cleaning their neighborhoods.

He suggested people whose work was related to sanitation,
should wear boots to avoid infection with leptospire bacteria.

Official data showed that at least 22 people have died as a
result of flood-related diseases, mostly diarrhea and
leptospirosis, since the floods hit the city at the end of
January and early February.

The city administration has allocated Rp 11.98 billion (US$1.1
million) for a post-flood health program which will be used to
provide free medical treatment and medicine.

The Rp 11.98 billion is part of Rp 251 billion earmarked for
post-flood rehabilitation programs this year.