“Indeed, most of them (cases) are in the Asian region; this is the most. Then, Indonesia is also included in a fairly high (incidence) group, apart from South America, so this is the most problematic thing and must be done together," director of infectious disease prevention and control at the ministry, Imran Pambudi, said at the commemoration of the 2023 ASEAN Dengue Day in Jakarta on Monday.
ADD was initiated at the 19th Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 30, 2010, he added. Indonesia was among the first nations to commemorate ADD on June 15, 2011.
Indonesia's observance of ADD is due to a number of challenges it has faced in overcoming dengue, for instance, people’s preference for fogging as a control measure, Pambudi said.
This shows that the community's awareness of the early symptoms of dengue and the eradication of mosquito nests (PSN) is still low because efforts against dengue would be more effective if they involve the 3M Plus and the Jumantik 1 House 1 (G1R1J) programs.
Then the epidemiological investigation of cases related to contact or environmental risk is still not optimal so prevention and mobilization in the areas are not optimal.
"The coaching system or work group that is not functioning properly causes case reports to be late, responses are late, and the operational budget is minimal. This causes regional governments to be in doubt in determining the status of an extraordinary event (KLB)," he explained.
Added to this are climate change phenomena such as El Nino, which will have an impact on the high number of dengue cases, he said. Therefore, along with 10 countries in the ASEAN region, Indonesia is trying to strengthen cooperation in overcoming dengue.
This year, through ADD, which is themed "Realize Indonesia Dengue Free," the government is trying to strengthen public awareness about the dangers and negative implications of dengue for communities, families, and individuals.
The government has also invited the media to socialize and seek the involvement of every individual in the community by building their understanding that the prevention and control of dengue is a shared responsibility.
Other goals, he said, include promoting and campaigning for effective and efficient prevention and control measures, including increasing cooperation among ASEAN member countries (AMS) for long-term dengue prevention and control, including the use of new and appropriate technologies for the detection and monitoring of dengue fever as well as mosquito control methods.
"Because (the spread of dengue) is not in all countries; dengue is still a neglected tropical disease (NTD); conditions only exist in a few countries. So, it needs attention from all of us," he added.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma Shanti, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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