YOGYAKARTA - The Yogyakarta City Health Office (Dinkes) has started testing mouse samples from the home environment of a number of patients who died from leptospirosis.
Head of the Disease Prevention and Control Division of the Yogyakarta City Health Office, Lana Unwanah, said the test was to ensure whether there were Leptospira bacteria brought by the squirrel.
"One area where this death case occurred, we are working with the Center for Community Health Laboratory (BBLabkesmas). We installed traps (rats) in the patient's house and 50 houses in the vicinity," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, July 11.
According to Lana, to get a sample of mice, her party has set 100 traps, with each house fitted with two traps inside and outside the house for two days.
"Of the 100 traps that we installed, 10 rats were caught," he said.
Furthermore, the mice were immediately dissected at the location to retrieve their kidneys for laboratory testing purposes.
"The lab test results are still waiting for about two weeks," Lana said.
According to him, this step is part of a field investigation to trace the source of leptospirosis transmission that has caused six deaths in the city of Yogyakarta throughout the first half of 2025.
Previously, the Yogyakarta City Health Office reported 19 cases of leptospirosis in 11 out of a total of 14 kemantren (sub-districts) in the region.
The most cases were found in Jetis and Tegalrejo, each with three cases; followed by Kotagede, Pakualaman, Gedongtengen, Ngampilan, two cases each, and Mantrijeron, Mergangsan, Gondokusuman, Umbulharjo, and Wirobrajan each with one case.
The death cases were recorded in Pakualaman, Gedongtengen, Wirobrajan, Jetis, and two cases in Ngapilan.
Of the six cases died, the age of the victims varied, ranging from 17 years to about 50 years.
Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by Leptospira bacteria, generally transmitted through water or soil polluted by infected rat urinary water.
SEE ALSO:
As an effort to overcome, the Mayor of Yogyakarta has issued Circular Letter (SE) Number 100.3.4/2407 of 2025 concerning Vigilance of Leptospirosis and Hantavirus Incidents.
The SE provides direction to relevant regional apparatus, including the Health Office and the Agriculture and Food Service, as well as health care facilities, to increase vigilance and rapid response to cases of zoonosis.
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