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Military called in to fight dengue

In a bid to prevent another outbreak of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, the Kaohsiung City Government yesterday called in the military to disinfect a part of the city that was seriously hit by the disease last year.

Dengue prevention and control has become a priority for the city government, which is still feeling the pain from the fight against SARS.

The outbreak of dengue fever last year marked the nation's worst since World War II. More than 5,000 cases of the disease were reported nationwide -- 3,212 of them in Kaohsiung, making it the worst-hit area in the country.

Health officials attributed the record-breaking outbreak last year to changes in weather patterns, including higher temperatures. This year, the government decided to take precautions before it was too late.

Health officials in Kaohsiung said the situation has been closely monitored since early last month, when the rainy season began.

Yesterday morning, more than 100 soldiers wearing protective suits carried out fumigation in the districts of Chienchen, Kushan and Lingya, where risk factors for dengue transmission could exist due to recent heavy rains.

The crews focused on vacant lots, parks and areas around traditional markets. In addition, pesticides were applied ditches to prevent mosquito larvae from hatching.

If it doesn't rain, environmental officials said, the effectiveness of pesticides could last for up to two weeks.

The latest statistics suggest that the city has seen no new local infections since January 28. However, on May 14, a case of an imported infection was reported.

Chang Feng-teng (張豐藤), head of Kaohsiung's Environmental Protection Bureau, yesterday called for public cooperation.

"Stagnant water in flowerpots, water troughs, water towers, or other kinds of containers, should be emptied immediately," Chang said.

Some residents, however, said their clothes hanging outside had been contaminated by city government's outdoor fumigations.

A borough warden said that communication between the government and local residents had been ineffective.

Meanwhile, the city's neighboring jurisdictions -- including counties of Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Tainan -- also raised the levels of dengue control and prevention.

Taiwan is one of the most-affected countries in the Asian Pacific region. Since March 8, however, there has no new case of dengue reported in the country.

Last week, the Center for Disease Control reminded Taiwanese visiting Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Australia about the spread of dengue in those nations.

According to the center, about 1,800 cases were reported in Singapore in the first five months of this year.

In the Philippines, the number of cases of dengue had exceeded 4,000, including 54 deaths, in the same period.

In Vietnam, about 8,000 cases were reported between January and May.

In Malaysia, as of the middle of March, there had been 3,410 cases, including 11 deaths.

Dengue fever broke out in Taiwan island-wide in 1915, 1931, and 1942, when it was a Japanese colony. After World War II, the disease did not reappear until the early 1980s.

Symptoms of the disease, which is seldom fatal, are similar to a severe case of flu, but the more severe dengue hemorrhagic fever is potentially fatal.
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