Quick medical attention saves children's lives

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Fitriyah looked tenderly upon the face of her nine-year-old daughter Winda Kuswati. She shooed away the flies that buzzed around the hospital room and pulled the black shawl she had brought from home around Winda's shoulders.

"Shhh -- please sleep baby," she whispered.

Winda is one of thousands of dengue patients in Surabaya city.

When The Jakarta Post visited her recently, the girl smiled weakly, a Patrick doll -- a character from the cartoon Sponge Bob Square Pants -- nestled in beside her. "Winda is happy that somebody is taking the time to visit," said Fitriyah.

She said her daughter had been hospitalized not long after she spotted signs of the disease on her body, "I read in the newspaper that many children die due to belated medical treatment".

For Fitriyah, approaching the hospital was a tough decision as the family's income is low.

"I was relieved when the local administration declared the outbreak an extraordinary situation. This means that medical treatment for dengue patients is free," she said.