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  Channel NewsAsia 12 Feb 07
Surge in dengue cases in Jakarta as flood-hit residents return home
By Channel NewsAsia's Indonesia Bureau Chief Sujadi Siswo

Channel NewsAsia 10 Feb 07
Tens of thousands of Jakarta residents down with flood-related ailments
By Channel NewsAsia's Indonesia Bureau Chief Sujadi Siswo

JAKARTA : Two men in Jakarta have come down with leptospirosis, a disease spread by rats. They had come into contact with contaminated flood waters.

One of them is said to have suffered brain damage. The men are among the tens of thousands of Jakarta residents who have come down with flood-related ailments.

Madam Maria lost her six-month-old son who succumbed to diarrhoea - one of the most common diseases linked to contaminated water caused by the flood. At least 50 people have died in Jakarta's worst flooding in five years.

More than 20,000 residents have been taken ill and the number is expected to rise. Authorities are bracing themselves for an outbreak of water-borne diseases.

A number of hospitals in Jakarta are kept busy with the growing number of residents seeking treatment for water-borne diseases. But with limited number of beds available, doctors have to treat patients along hospital corridors.

Anticipating the growing need, one hospital in central Jakarta has set up tents on its compound. Dr Soesilawati from PELNI Hospital says: "We set up operations here because we can't access some areas when we travel with medical equipment. Here, we can immediately refer patients for further treatment."

Experts say outbreaks of water-borne diseases are common during flood. This is made worst as some 300,000 people are living in cramped and unsanitary conditions in shelters.

"We are treating several ailments. The top three problems are upper respiratory infection, diarrhoea and skin infection or rashes," says Dr Sulastri Zainudin at PELNI Hospital.

With rain expected to pound Jakarta till the end of the month, officials are frantically reaching out to residents - distributing cleaning equipment and urging them to take precautions. It is hoped that these measures will reduce the number of casualties.

Channel NewsAsia 9 Feb 07
Jakarta flood victims contract disease spread by rats

JAKARTA: Two men in Jakarta have been diagnosed with a disease spread by rats after they came into contact with contaminated flood waters, and one has suffered brain damage, reports said on Friday.

Leptospirosis, also known as Weil's disease, is a bacterial disease that is usually caught from contact with water contaminated by urine from infected rats.

Health officials have warned of the risk of the disease from the floodwaters that have inundated Jakarta for the past week.

Sarnata, 61, was admitted to hospital on Thursday morning in the acute stage of leptospirosis. His kidneys were damaged and he was losing consciousness because part of his brain had been damaged, the official Antara news agency said. "Sarnata has entered the third stage of the disease, he cannot speak because his brain is damaged," said Nazir, a doctor at Jakarta Tarakan hospital.

"There are three stages of leptospirosis, with early stages showing high fever, muscle pains, red eyes ... the worst will damage the brain and can be irreversible," he said.

Leptospirosis, which causes high fever and painful joints, is treated with antibiotics. It is rarely fatal, although kidney or liver failure or meningitis can result.

"The risk of acquiring leptospirosis can be greatly reduced by not swimming or wading in water that might be contaminated with animal urine," according to the US Centres for Disease Control.

But many in the city have little option but to wade through the flood waters while children also regularly swim in them.

The floods in Jakarta, the worst in at least five years, have claimed 50 lives and displaced about 500,000 people in the capital and surrounding towns, according to the national disaster crisis centre.

"Fifty people died in Jakarta, Bekasi, Karawang and Tangerang," Linda, an official at the centre, told AFP. Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar has blamed the floods on excessive construction on natural drainage areas, but city governor Sutiyoso said it was a "cyclical natural phenomenon".

Channel NewsAsia 12 Feb 07
Surge in dengue cases in Jakarta as flood-hit residents return home
By Channel NewsAsia's Indonesia Bureau Chief Sujadi Siswo

JAKARTA : There has been a surge in the number of dengue fever cases in Indonesia's capital of Jakarta. Some 800 residents have been warded over the weekend - double the number before floods submerged the city.

Authorities are stepping up clean-up efforts, as most of the 300,000 affected residents returned to their homes. Heavy rain has stopped pounding Jakarta over the past few days. The water level at the city's main rivers is not threatening anymore.

But tonnes of garbage continue to pile up as Jakarta cleans up after the flood. Residents began returning to their homes - even if it means going back to face the risks of future flood.

Hundreds of thousands of Jakarta residents still live on the river bank - polluting and clogging the waterways. Authorities blamed them for the sedimentation that caused the river to overflow during the heavy downpour earlier this month.

New flood canals are being built but it is taking too long to complete. In east Jakarta, work started on a 23.5-kilometre long canal more than two years ago but the project has been hampered by land issues.

The recent flood has forced the Indonesian government to expedite the project which they hope to complete within the next two years. The government announced it would pump in some US$400 million to get the canal ready by 2009 - in time for the country's election.

This is good news to residents like Mr Mahmud whose house is affected by the project. Thousands of residents have been waiting for their compensation before moving out of their land to make way for the canal.

Mr Mahmud said: "Everyone in the village agrees. No one protested. It is about the compensation. The authorities said they do not have the funds yet."

Sunny days over the past few days have brought respite to Jakarta's 12 million residents. But the weathermen say the wet season is not over until the end of the month. And until the flood alleviation projects are completed, residents can only hope that the rains do not come and cause the rivers to overflow its banks again. - CNA/de
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