Indonesia's capital Jakarta and five provinces have been placed under alert for a possible dengue epidemic following a growing number of fatalities and infections, officials said.

Health authorities said efforts were being stepped up to prevent a repeat of last year's dengue fever outbreak, that had killed 669 people and infected 59,321 others in 24 of the country's 32 provinces.

"Jakarta has been declared on alert against an extraordinary occurrence of dengue fever," Aida Fatmi, a doctor at Jakarta's health office, told AFP.

Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying five other provinces – East Java, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara and East Nusa Tenggara – were also under dengue watch.

The mosquito-borne disease has led to 102 fatalities so far this year in the six provinces, with 4,700 infections, she said.

Fatmi said measures would be taken in the provinces to prevent a widespread dengue outbreak, including extensive fumigation operations, boosting hospital facilities and an information campaign to educate the public on the disease.

Dengue, usually associated with poor tropical countries, is an annual rainy season hazard for Indonesians.

No outbreak has been reported in the tsunami-battered province of Aceh, where more than 240,000 people have died or are missing, despite earlier concerns by relief agencies of health threats posed by malaria and dengue.