Jakarta Declares Dengue Fever Alert

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta Health Agency has declared a dengue fever (DBD) alert in light of increased number of dengue cases in the capital.

“The alert status is to prevent the cases from growing,” Widyastuti told a press conference at her office in Central Jakarta today, January 28, 2019. 

Read: 3 Areas in Jakarta Susceptible to Dengue Fever

She explained there were currently 613 recorded cases of DBD up to January 27, 2019:  231 cases in South Jakarta, 169 cases in East Jakarta, 153 cases in West Jakarta, 37 cases in North Jakarta, and 23 cases in Central Jakarta. 

One of the causes of this DBD spread is the humidity. A study was done by the Jakarta Health Agency, Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), and the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) on the link between Jakarta’s air humidity and the rising cases of DBD. 

Read: Anies Baswedan Addresses Threat of Dengue Fever in Jakarta

“Mosquitos prefer places that are humid,” said Widyastuti. 

The study also predicts the five areas in Jakarta are considered to be on dengue fever high-alert with West, South, and East Jakarta predicted to experience 76 percent humidity level.

LANI DIANA WIJAYA