Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Health advised everyone to be aware of the impact of El Nino. This is the phenomenon of warming sea surface temperatures that causes drought, which may lead to a spike in cases of dengue fever in Indonesia.
"With El Nino we are afraid that its occurrence will increase, so in early 2023 we have issued a Circular (SE) to alert all local governments. We are worried that there will be a spike in cases," the ministry's Director of Communicable Disease Prevention and Control, Imran Pambudi, said at the Commemoration of ASEAN Dengue Day 2023 in Jakarta, June 12.
Imran said that a study by his team showed that the frequency of mosquitoes to bite would increase three to five times more vicious when the temperature in a country rises above 35 degrees Celsius. The dryness brought by El Nino can also make water-filled containers inside and outside people's homes remain undisturbed, giving the Aedes aegypti mosquito ample breeding sites.
According to the ministry's data, as of the 22nd week of 2023 there have been 35,694 cases of dengue reported with 270 deaths. Imran appealed to all parties to be careful, as dengue cases are mostly found in children.
To prevent cases from increasing, Imran said the most important thing in prevention. Currently, the Health Ministry is intensifying dissemination about the importance of Eradicating Mosquito Nests (PSN) through the 3M Plus campaign: draining and brushing, closing water reservoirs, utilizing or recycling used goods, and preventing mosquitos from breeding and biting.
"We don't really recommend fogging as that is a reaction – we do that after there are cases reported. What's important now is preventing the appearance of mosquito larvae and protecting the people – advising them to use lotions or bivalent (vaccines) if they live in areas with plenty of vegetation," said Imran about the dengue fever which related to the impact from El Nino.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1736611/ministry-advises-caution-over-el-nino-impact-dengue-cases-may-ris