BALIKPAPAN – Cases of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) in Balikpapan City are currently quite high, so the Balikpapan Health Service (DKK) is urging the people of Balikpapan to be vigilant.
Balikpapan City Health (DKK) chief Andi Sri Giuliarty said the latest death was a 9-year-old boy from South Balikpapan.
“The total number of cases through week 32 of 2023 was 1,539 cases,” he said on Tuesday (29/08/2023).
Andi Sri Giuliarty further explained that the majority of dengue cases have been reported in North Balikpapan, with the highest death rate occurring in South Balikpapan. Most cases of DHL occur between the ages of 5-14 years. Children are vulnerable to dengue fever because their immune systems are still weak and weakened.
“So far, the highest cases have always been in the south. However, now the number of cases is starting to move to the North,” he explained.
Andy Sri Giuliarty added that there are still many people who do not understand what prevention is, so he asked the family to play an important role in quickly responding when they detect symptoms of DHF.
“We know about the fever, we don’t just buy antipyretics. But go to a medical facility immediately if a family member has a fever,” he added.
He said that at present, each start-up has a sensitive regent for diagnosing DHL, early detection using the NS1 test kit.
“So, patients who come in with reports of fever, we see this regent,” he repeated.
In addition, as a precautionary measure, the Larval Monitoring Program (Jumantik) continues to operate in all Kelurahans through their respective community health centers. Andi also urged residents to clean up regularly. For example, the home page and puddles of water in used bottles or canisters.
“DBD mosquito larvae breed well in clean water. Efforts are being made to drain the reservoir, including in the house,” he concluded.
Author: Aprianto
Editor: Nicha Ratnasari