Dengue fever outbreak in western Indonesia kills 27

Dengue fever outbreak in western Indonesia kills 27

2011-12-16 03:44:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

MUARATEBO, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- An ongoing outbreak of dengue fever in western Indonesia has killed at least 27 people in the past two months, officials said on Thursday. Hundreds more have been affected.

Health officials on Thursday confirmed that two more people have died of dengue fever at the Sultan Thaha Saefuddin general hospital in the Tebo district of Jambi province, which is located on the east coast of central Sumatra.

Jambi administration spokesman Subhi told the Antara news agency that in the last two months, the dengue fever endemic has caused at least 27 deaths. The total number of cases has meanwhile increased to around 800, an increase from 700 at the start of December.

Hendra, the Sultan Thaha Saefuddin hospital spokesperson, said the two latest victims had faced complications because they were late in treating the disease. He said eleven others are still being treated at the hospital for the virus, but it is unclear how many people have been hospitalized in other regional hospitals.

Dengue spreads more often after the rainy season when stagnant water on the streets usually activate the breed of mosquitoes, which transmit and cause the dengue fever. Indonesia's rainy season normally begins in the month of November and lasts until March.

Pakistan has also faced a severe outbreak of dengue fever this year, killing at least 340 people and infecting more than 32,000 people. The outbreak, which was centered in Punjab's provincial capital of Lahore, did not follow the typical epidemic cycle as it initially continued to affect people at a constant rate.

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