REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- As many as 15,132 cases of dengue fever were reported in Indonesia, with 145 deaths, as of February 1, 2019, according to the Health Ministry. East Java Province witnessed the highest number of dengue cases, at 3,074, with 52 deaths, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the ministry's director for vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, stated here on Friday.

West Java ranked second, with 2,204 cases, causing 14 deaths; followed by East Nusa Tenggara, with 1,092 cases, resulting in 13 deaths; and North Sumatra, 1,071 cases, leading to 13 deaths. Tarmizi noted that dengue fever could still be controlled, with several areas starting to witness a decline in the number of cases.

"According to the latest data, Kapuas has begun to come out of an extraordinary situation. The number of cases in West Manggarai has begun to decline, although one or two cases are still found. We must look at each region specifically. We still see a higher number of cases in East Java," she stated.

The ministry recorded 53,075 cases of dengue fever in 2018, some 68,407 cases in 2017, and 204,171 cases in 2016. Most of those treated for dengue fever were children aged between nine and 14 years, she remarked.

The number of dengue fever cases may drop after the rainy season if the mosquito population declines. The Health Ministry underscored the importance of intervention in controlling the population of aedes aegypt mosquitos carrying the dengue virus.

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