90 Percent of West Java Region Exceeds National Target for DHF Disease Rates

The dengue morbidity rate in 26 districts and cities of West Java exceeds the national case target.

ANTARA FOTO/YULIUS SATRIA WIJAYA

A number of dengue fever patients are waiting for medical treatment in the Emergency Unit (UGD) room of the Cibinong District General Hospital, Bogor, West Java, on Wednesday (1/30/2019).

BANDUNG, KOMPAS — Mickness rate dengue fever dengue in 26 districts and cities or around 90 percent of the area West Java is above the national target, namely below 10 cases per 100,000 population. Only Indramayu Regency is still below the target, namely six cases.

The latest data on the development of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DBD) cases from the Health Department of West Java Province as of April, the number of dengue cases has reached 17,438 people. There are four areas with dengue fever or incident rates that have exceeded 80 cases per 100,000 people.

Four areas are affected - Bogor city with 136 cases per 100,000 people, Sukabumi city with 130 cases per 100,000 people, Bandung district with 83 cases per person, and Banjar city with 81 cases per person. These numbers mean that in Bogor city, there are 130 out of 100,000 people who are infected with dengue fever.

As for the death rate or case fatality rate, only 11 out of 27 districts and cities are more than the national target, namely 1 percent. The three regions with the highest death rates from dengue fever are Bandung Regency 2.54 percent, Majalengka Regency 2.29 percent, and Cimahi City 2.07 percent.

"There has been an increase in dengue fever cases from January to March 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. The number of increases is more than double," said Head of the Disease Prevention and Control Division of the West Java Health Department, Rochady Hendra Setia Wibawa, in Bandung on Thursday (18/4/2024).

Also read: In Four Months, 17,438 West Java Residents Infected with DHF

Rochady explained that the increased risk of dengue fever transmission is influenced by the El Nino weather phenomenon in 2023 and climate change towards the La Nina phenomenon predicted for September. This phenomenon triggers high rainfall, resulting in many water puddles.

Stagnant water in homes and residential complex areas is an ideal place for the reproduction of Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae. In just a week, there were adult mosquitoes in the puddles.

He mentioned the symptoms of dengue fever, including fever, headache, skin rash, joint pain, continuous vomiting, and nosebleeds. "The possibility of an increase in dengue fever cases in West Java is still ongoing until the end of the transitional season, which is in the middle of 2024," he explained.

KOMPAS/FABIO MARIA LOPES COSTA

Head of Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) West Java Health Office Rochady Hendra Setia Wibawa in Bandung City, Wednesday (20/3/2024).

Rochady also revealed that there is a phenomenon of a spike in Dengue Fever cases in West Java every two years. This can be seen from the increase in cases in 2022, while the number of cases decreased in 2023. This year, the number of cases has risen again.

She also urges parents to provide vitamins, nutritious food, and ensure a mosquito-free environment for their children. This is because children are the most susceptible and die the most from DBD.

Based on age classification, the majority of dengue fever patients from January to April this year are aged 15-44 years, with a total of 7,478 cases. Meanwhile, the number of deaths is dominated by children aged 5-14 years with a total of 83 cases.

"There must be a family member in every house as a mosquito larva monitor. "He plays a role in draining shelters and cleaning waterlogged containers because they are breeding grounds for the Aedes aegypti mosquito," he said.

The Head of the Bandung City Health Office, Anhar Hadian, stated that there are a number of mass steps being taken to prevent the spread of dengue fever. It is known that Bandung City has the highest number of dengue fever cases up until this month, which is 1,741 cases.

Also read: 71 children die in West Java due to dengue fever

The step is to re-energize the movement of jumantik or larvae monitors. Ideally, one house should have one jumantik whose duty is to eradicate mosquito breeding sites.

"The Bandung City Regional Government also conducted a rapid diagnosis test (RDT) as an effort to early detect the spread of dengue fever. "This is also simultaneous with giving abate powder to places flooded with water, including bathtubs and flower pots," said Anhar.