Success in fighting dengue declared

Success in fighting dengue declared

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Sleman regent Ibnu Subiyanto claimed here on Monday that the
regency had been successful in overcoming the dengue fever
outbreak that had plagued Sleman since January.

Ibnu said the local government declared dengue fever an
"extraordinary occurrence" on February 5 after seven fatalities
from the disease was recorded in the first five weeks of the
outbreak. The Sleman administration intensified its fight against
the disease, including fumigating afflicted areas and providing
educational campaigns for the public.

Unlike other affected areas, many of which suffered hundreds
of dengue cases in a single regency, Sleman recorded only 77
cases eight weeks after the regency declared the outbreak
"extraordinary". Of these, only two patients died.

"We consider our effort a success, as we were able to contain
fatalities to a minimum," he said.

Ibnu said Sleman had spent Rp 2.1 billion to combat the
disease, Rp 1.5 billion of which was drawn from the regency's
emergency funds, Rp 390 million from its routine budget and the
remaining Rp 210 million from the Yogyakarta provincial health
budget.