War against dengue to start soon

JAKARTA: The city administration will launch a fumigation campaign to eradicate the aedes aegypti mosquito that hosts the dengue fever virus before the wet season begins in August, an official said.

The head of the City Health Agency, Abdul Chalik Masulili, said on Wednesday the fumigation was part of efforts to stop the disease from spreading.

"We have prepared 745 devices, including five imported ones that work more effectively than the manual machines," he was quoted as saying by Antara on Wednesday.

He said the mosquitoes bred during the rainy season in standing water.

The agency recorded about 18,000 cases of dengue fever in the capital this year as of May, with about 82 deaths, mostly children. -- JP