REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAYAPURA -- The Papua health office said it has received reports of dengue attacking the capital city of Jayapura with 17 known cases in January, 2016.

In the first week of January, there were 5 cases of dengue, four cases in the second week, and six cases in the third week, an official of the health service Anto Flassy said.

In the rest of that month, there were two cases bringing the total number to 17 cases, Anto said here on Wednesday.

He said fogging could kill only the parents but not the larva in the eggs of the mosquito that spread the dengue disease.

The larva could only be eradicated by maintaining clean environment, he said.

Dengue virus has spread in various regions in the country. East Java, West Java and Banten recorded the largest number of dengue cases in the country in January, 2016.

A report quoted data from provincial health services, said there were 1,680 dengue cases in East Java, causing the death of 39 victims in five regencies - Jombang, Sumenep, Jember , Banyuangi and Malang.

In Banten there were 760 cases with 25 dead victims with Tangerang regency recording the largest number of 270 cases with 13 dead victims.

In West Java there were at least 790 cases. The number of deaths has yet to be announced, head of the West Java health service Alma Lucyati said.

Alma said almost all regencies in West Java reported cases of dengue.

In Sumatra , dengue attacks have also been detected in Lampung with 464 cases and in Kalimantan , the city of Balikpapan in East Kalimanatn reported 193 cases with three victims dead.

More dengue cases are expected in the country under the weather condition of rainy and dry days alternating.

The spread of dengue virus in the country has brought about fear of the more deadly Zika virus, as the carrier of both viruses is the same mosquito - Aedes Aegypti.

Zika has caused a global concern because of its rapid pace of spreading.

The World Health Organization has even announced a situation of global emergency in facing the outbreak of Zika virus.

WHO Director General Margaret Chan described the rapid spread of Zika virus as extraordinary that has to be dealt with a coordinated response.

In Jakarta, Deputy Director of the Eijkman Molecular Biology Institution Herawati Sudoyo said Indonesia should take early preventive measure in line with the WHO announcement.

Eijkman is the first institution isolating Zika virus in Indonesia and has found Zika case in Jambi, Sumatra, after the outbreak of dengue disease in that province.

Zika has opened new front in Indonesia, therefore, preventive actions should be carried out at once against both denguen and Zika viruses, Herawati said.

Head of the Communications Bureau of the Public Health Care of the Health Ministry Oscar Primadi said the ministry has alerted all regional health offices against the outbreak of Zika virus.

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