“Magetan Health Office Urges Vigilance Against Dengue Fever During Ongoing Rainfall”

The Health Office (Dinkes) of Magetan Regency, East Java, asked the public to be aware of the threat of dengue fever (DB) caused by the bite of the “Aedes Aegypti” mosquito, following the ongoing rainfall in recent weeks.

“The number of cases has indeed decreased, but we still need to be vigilant because rain still occurs frequently,” said the Sub-Coordinator for Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) of the Magetan Health Office, Agoes Yudi Purnomo in Magetan, Tuesday.

According to data, the local Health Office recorded 74 cases of dengue fever in Magetan from January to April 2023. In January there were 24 cases, February 23 cases, while in March and April, 13 and 14 cases respectively.

“Thank God there were no fatalities, hopefully there will be none. Whereas in May there were no cases of dengue fever in Magetan,” he said.

Even though the trend of cases is decreasing, the Health Office asks residents to remain vigilant. Because the phenomenon is still raining at this time, the capacity of the disease-carrying vector is quite high.

“The rising air temperature makes the vector’s ability to reproduce faster, so people don’t be careless,” he said.

He gave an example, usually the breeding of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito vector takes 14 days, from hatching to adult mosquitoes. But with an increase in temperature, he is faster, five days can hatch.

“Apart from being faster, the productivity is also higher with the current temperature,” he said.

From a vector survey conducted by the Magetan Health Office, it was found that the dengue vectors that were caught were the “Aedes Aegypti and “Aedes Albopictus” mosquitoes.

“The best step to deal with the risk of dengue fever transmission is the Eradication of Mosquito Nests (PSN), not fogging or fumigation,” added Agoes.

So far, the Magetan Health Office together with staff and officers in the field have carried out fogging in several areas where residents have tested positive for dengue. However, according to Agoes, this is not effective because it only kills adult mosquitoes.

“The most effective and must continue to be intensified is PSN, namely with 3M such as draining bathtubs regularly, closing water reservoirs, and burying or recycling used items that can hold water,” he said.

Apart from PSN, the Health Office is also intensively conducting socialization on dengue alert by diligently implementing clean and healthy living behaviors (PHBS) in daily life, said Agoes Yudi Purnomo.

Reporter: Louis Rika Stevani

Editor : Abdullah Rifai

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