As if Burd Flu wisnae enough, Jakartans are warned of possible dengue outbreak ..more good things from the Big Durien

Sorry for the break, I've been out of town for the past week - never mind back to the grind!

City residents have been warned of a possible dengue fever outbreak this year during the transitional period between the dry and wet sessions, when dengue is normally at its most prevalent.

"Although the data from the hospitals does not show any increase in the number of dengue fever cases so far, we need to be alert," a Jakarta Health Agency spokeswoman told The Jakarta Post.

Citing data collected from all hospitals across the capital, the spokeswoman said that the total number of patients coming down with dengue fever from January to October stood at 15,795, while the number of fatalities was 74.

In October, according to the Health Agency, 642 patients had been treated in a number of hospitals, as compared to 1,902 in August, 2,525 in July, 1,352 in June and 1,472 in May.
One hospital was currently treating 32 dengue fever patients -- 16 adults and 16 children. Of these patients, six had been accommodated in extra beds, while two were placed in the corridor.

(Lovely – healthcare at it’s finest – imagine if Burd Flu became a reality with not enough corridors to go around)

The problem with the offending mosquito Aedes aegypti is that they are most active during the early hours of the morning and early evening when all of the normal malarial mosquitoes have buggered off for the day. It’s common to put on that nasty bug repellent shit at night, however, you really have to pay attention to remember to put it on in the morning and evening as well.

In truth, if you live nearby to a festering canal or waterway full of faeces, it’s a pretty tempting neighbourhood for these bastards, and in much the same way as the government is trying to get people to avoid keeping chickens and birds in their backyards, they are having a problem encouraging people not to empty effluents (read shit & piss) into these natural latrines.Next thing you know, hunners of mossies with bites like midges with steel wallies (false teeth) are after your body big time.

The government has urged people to take part in the 30-minute anti-dengue fever cleanups held in neighbourhoods every Friday at 9 a.m. – methinks it will take more than a weekly spray of Baygon fly spray to sort this one out.