Dengue kills 41 in Jakarta

The whole of 2006 saw 24,942 reported cases of dengue fever recorded with 51 deaths in Jakarta.

A seasonal dengue fever outbreak in the Indonesian capital has killed at least 41 and sickened more than 11,000 this year, local media reports said Tuesday.

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Governor Sutiyoso said the mosquito-borne disease cases had risen drastically since January, with a total of 11,094 people infected, The Jakarta Post reported.

By comparison, the whole of 2006 saw 24,942 reported cases of dengue fever recorded with 51 deaths in Jakarta.

Sutiyoso said he had sent letters to the health minister asking for additional drugs and insecticides for a mass fumigation across the capital of more than 12 million residents.

Dengue infects up to 50 million people worldwide a year, and Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific are the worst hit regions.