The wet season is always associated with a higher incidence of dengue fever. Right now Central Java, including the place Ika is from, Semarang, has more than its fair share of the disease. Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.
C Java has 2,767 dengue fever patients, 73 die
SEMARANG, C Java (Antara): A total of 2,767 Central Java residents contracted dengue fever between early this year and Feb. 16 with the death victims reaching 73 people, a provincial health official said.
In January 2007, the number of dengue patients in Central Java was 1,461 and in February the figure increased by 1,306 ,the head of the Central Java provincial health office, Endang Agustinar, said on Monday.
The dengue outbreaks occurred in seven districts, namely Blora, Pati, Jepara, Pekalongan, Semarang, Pemalang, and Batang.
“The incidence of dengue fever is very much related to the rainy season. It usually increases sharply during the rainy season when there is a lot of stagnant water where aedes aegypti mosquitoes can easily breed,” he said.
My neighbor who had dengue, told me its the larger mosquitoes that are out during the day, that are the ones to watch out for. Trimming back bushes, putting away buckets, sacks and other gardening gear can help keep numbers down. Fogging works on a very temporary basis. It kills the adults but won’t kill the larvae.
Your chance of getting dengue on a trip to Bali are very small.
