The Ministry Of Health Ensures That Health Facilities Are Not Overwhelmed Even Though DHF Has Tripled

Health workers prepare medicine for dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) patients at Tamansari Hospital, Jakarta, Thursday (18/4/2024). (ANTARA PHOTO/Sulthony Hasanuddin/aww)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) confirmed that no health care facility manager (fasyankes) has been overwhelmed with treating Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) patients amid a triple increase in cases from last year due to climate change.

"Currently, despite the increase in cases and people being treated in hospitals in several areas, there are no reports that the regions are overwhelmed with treatment," said the Director of Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (P2PM) of the Ministry of Health, Imran Pambudi, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, May 3.

He said the health facility manager had carried out mitigation of the spike in cases in accordance with a circular addressed to all health offices and hospitals in the country in January and April 2024.

The letter explains that the increase in cases is related to climate change. Climate change allows mosquitoes to survive and reproduce longer so that the number is more.

"January and April 2024, we gave a circular to the health office and hospital to mitigate the spike in dengue cases, because we predict an increase in cases due to climate change in early 2024," he said.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of P2P of the Ministry of Health reported that until the 17th week of 2024 there were 88,593 cases of dengue and 621 deaths in a number of areas.

That number has more than tripled from the same period last year of 28,579 cases with a death rate of 209 people.

This year's dengue case was reported from 456 regencies/cities in 34 provinces, while dengue deaths occurred in 174 districts/cities in 28 provinces.

A total of five regencies/cities with the highest cases reported from the city of Bandung reached 3,468 cases, Tangerang 2,540 cases, Bogor City 1944 cases, Kendari City 1,659 cases, and West Bandung 1,576 cases.

The rate of death most due to dengue was reported from Bandung Regency 29 people, Jepara 21 people, Bekasi City 19 people, Subang 18 people, and Kendal 17 people.

Dengue suspects sourced from the cumulative Early and Response Alert System (SKDR) report were reported as many as 262,463 cases.