The number of people infected by dengue and treated at the Waingapu public hospital reached 338, Chrisnawan Try Haryantana, head of the East Sumba health office, stated here, Wednesday.
In East Nusa Tenggara, the death toll of dengue victims reached 18 people.
The NTT government, particularly the East Sumba health office, has intensified efforts to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne disease by eradicating the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the main vector that transmits the viruses that cause dengue.
Meanwhile, as many as 15,132 cases of dengue fever were reported in Indonesia, with 145 deaths, as of February 1, 2019, according to the Health Ministry.
East Java Province witnessed the highest number of dengue cases, at 3,074, with 52 deaths, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the ministry`s director for vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, stated in Jakarta, recently.
West Java ranked second, with 2,204 cases, causing 14 deaths; followed by East Nusa Tenggara, with 1,092 cases, resulting in 13 deaths; and North Sumatra, 1,071 cases, leading to 13 deaths.
Tarmizi noted that dengue fever could still be controlled, with several areas starting to witness a decline in the number of cases.
"According to the latest data, Kapuas has begun to come out of an extraordinary situation. The number of cases in West Manggarai has begun to decline, although one or two cases are still found. We must look at each region specifically. We still see a higher number of cases in East Java," she stated.
The ministry recorded 53,075 cases of dengue fever in 2018, some 68,407 cases in 2017, and 204,171 cases in 2016.
Most of those treated for dengue fever were children aged between nine and 14 years, she remarked.
Reporting by Kornelis Kaha. Fardah Assegaf
Editing by Suharto
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
