Dengue Infections In Indonesia Double In One Year - Up To 200,000 In 2007 - ENN

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JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesia is on course for some 200,000 dengue fever infections this year, twice last year's total, a top health official said Thursday, adding the jump may be in part due to global warming.

The country has so far this year logged over 100,000 cases of the mosquito-borne disease -- 1,100 of them fatal, said a senior Health Ministry official, Nyoman Kandun. Last year, there were 114,000 recorded cases, with 1,100 fatalities, he said.

Dengue, which is endemic in Southeast Asia, causes joint pain, high fevers, nausea and rashes. In severe cases, it results in internal bleeding and death.

Kandun said rising temperatures due to global warming had allowed mosquitoes to thrive in high altitude areas previously too cold for them. He said this may have accounted for increased cases of dengue in elevated areas in west Java.

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