Indonesia dengue outbreak wanes

A dengue fever outbreak that has killed more than 400 people this year is beginning to wane in parts of Indonesia, the Health Ministry says.

Indonesia dengue outbreak wanesA dengue fever outbreak that has killed more than 400 people this year is beginning to wane in parts of Indonesia, the Health Ministry says.”It is certainly not yet over but there are signs showing a tendency of the dengue outbreak to slow down in several provinces, especially in Jakarta,” said spokeswoman Mariani Reksoprojo. Almost 30,000 people across most of the Indonesian archipelago have contracted the mosquito-borne disease since the start of the year. The spokeswoman did not yet have latest figures for deaths and infections but says recent data shows a daily decline in the number of infected people in several areas. “Jakarta is where this is most visible because of the intensive campaigns such as cleaning the environment, fogging [spraying insecticide], information distribution and effective access to health care,” Ms Reksoprojo said. Jakarta, which holds the rank of a province, and five other provinces on densely-populated Java island have been hardest hit by dengue fever. The disease is an annual rainy season hazard for Indonesians but the number of infections this year is more than double the same period last year. (Source: ABC Health News, March 2004)