West Jakarta wary of Chikungunya epidemic
Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Concern is growing among West Jakarta health workers as the number of suspected cases of Chikungunya disease over the last month nears 50 in Keagungan subdistrict, Taman Sari.
Although many have recovered after treatment and no fatalities have been reported, workers and residents are still worried as new cases of the disease are still emerging.
Chikungunya, like dengue fever, is contracted through a mosquito bite and is characterized by an extremely high fever, but differs in its symptom of severe joint pain (arthralgia) that lasts up to a week.
"Besides residents of community units 4 and 5, which have been the most affected, there have been reports that the disease is now spreading to community unit 3 as well," Tuti, a community unit 4 health worker, said on Monday.
Residents are also worried that the disease will affect their children's future health and well-being.
"My granddaughter Sella's legs became temporarily paralyzed by the disease. Thank God, she is now well again," said Neneng, a resident of community unit 5.
Over a two-week period, six of Neneng's family members contracted the disease, including herself.
Neneng first felt aches in both shoulders, followed by an extremely high fever and then a rash. As the disease progressed, she felt paralyzing pain throughout her body.
"I even had to be carried by my neighbors to the clinic for treatment," she said.
Keagungan subdistrict deputy head Agus Suprapto denied that a Chikungunya pandemic had broken out in his subdistrict.
He said his office was still working with the local health clinic to confirm reports from residents and to identify the disease.
"It might be the disease called Chikungunya, but it might also be dengue fever," he said.
Head of Taman Sari district health Asep Soliludin said he would order immediate preventive actions for the time being while waiting until Tuesday for a full report from Keagungan health center head Meliana.
Meliana could not immediately be contacted for comment.
"If this is indeed a Chikungunya pandemic, we admit we have been slow to react. But we have already taken action by fumigating the area to prevent new cases," Asep said.
Several Taman Sari health workers were fumigating residents' homes and along trash-clogged sewers for mosquitoes on Monday afternoon.
Residents suspect that flooding caused by water spillage from a nearby construction site and the clearing of formerly lush shrubs and trees there had contributed to the rise in the number of mosquitoes.
Chikungunya is caused by a self-limiting febrile virus that is transmitted through the bite of either the Aedes africanus or the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can also carry the dengue fever virus.
The disease was first recognized in epidemic form in East Africa in 1952 and has continued to cause major epidemics in Africa, India and Southeast Asia.
Its name comes from the Swahili word chikungunya, which means "that which contorts or bends up", referring to the contorted posture of patients afflicted with the disease's predominant symptom of arthralgia.
In Indonesia, the disease was first reported in 1973 in Samarinda, East Kalimantan. The latest outbreak of Chikungunya was in 2002, striking Bekasi in West Java and Purworejo and Klaten in Central Java.