JAKARTA – Indonesian authorities are worried about another health crisis on its hands, dengue hemorrhagic fever, in the middle of the continuous coronavirus pandemic.
Between January to June 17, 64,251 dengue hemorrhagic fever cases were reported with the death toll striking 385, according to the Health Ministry.
Tourism hotspot Bali island reported the greatest number of cases at 8,930, followed by the country’s most populated province of West Java with 6,337
Health Ministry’s director for vector-borne and zoonotic illness Siti Nadia Tarmizi told The Sunday Times that the 60,000- plus cases taped this year were lower than 98,000 during the same period last year.
A significant concern this year, she said, is why the cases have actually continued to climb though the peak months of March and April for dengue fever had actually passed.
The deaths reported so far were likewise half of the figure in the same duration a year ago, she added.
” We normally see a very low variety of dengue hemorrhagic fever in June … We’re still trying to find out why we still tape rather lots of cases in June,” Dr Nadia stated, citing a number of numerous cases in a single day.
With numerous parts of the nation relieving social restrictions, the Health Ministry is motivating operators of office complex, locations of worship and other venues to inspect the presence of larval mosquitoes and to perform fogging or using larvicide.
Indonesia in 2016 reached its all-time high dengue hemorrhagic fever cases and deaths, with 204,171 cases and 1,598 deaths.
The world’s 4th most populated country of about 270 million just records dengue hemorrhagic fever cases, a severe dengue fever marked by bleeding.
The number of dengue fever cases, whose clients are generally dealt with at home with recommended drugs, is estimated to be 10 times larger than the variety of the dengue hemorrhagic fever cases, according to Dr Nadia.
Vector borne disease expert, Dr Rita Kusriastuti, mentioned the modification of weather pattern this year, with the transition from the dry season to the monsoon season occurring in Might instead of March, contributed to the huge variety of cases in June.
She likewise kept in mind that the Covid-19 pandemic has put pressure on efforts to prevent the dengue hemorrhagic fever.
” The system put in place to keep an eye on larval mosquitoes both independently by citizens and by the government did not work as throughout the pandemic, as all the energy was dedicated to deal with the Covid-19,” she said.
Dr Nadia stated the restrictive steps to curb the spread of the Covid-19 had restricted the motion of health officers who monitor larval mosquitoes door-to-door and disperse larvicide to citizens, in your area known as jumantik.
Mr I Wayan Widia, head of illness avoidance and control department at Bali health agency, said that the province’s substantial number of cases was triggered by the lack of compulsory once-in-month tidy up by its homeowners due to the Covid-19 social restrictions. This, he said, has actually resulted in some locations such as drains pipes, to end up being fertile ground for mosquito breeding.
” With the stay-at-home suggestions, individuals didn’t carry out activities to destroy mosquito nests massively,” he stated.
Other locations with water reservoirs, such as hotels and resorts, were also left ignored as a lot of hospitality employees were off task therefore contributing to mosquito breeding, he added.
Ms Erlina Salmun, who is in charge of disease avoidance and control at the health agency of East Nusa Tenggara province, associated the variety of deaths to people’s lack of knowledge about the dengue fever, leading them to look for medical treatment for their ill relative primarily when it was too late.
” The clients were sent out to hospitals only when their condition was already severe,” she stated.
