Indonesia warns tourists about dengue virus

Vacation & Leisure

Bali fascinates many people and attracts millions of tourists every year. The Indonesian island is famous for its natural landscape, including tropical rainforests, scenic waterfalls and beautiful beaches. Bali also has numerous sights and coral reefs to offer. It’s not for nothing that social media is full of photos of the island.

But a trip to your dream holiday destination is currently not without danger. Now the Indonesian regional government has issued a warning and warned of a dangerous pathogen. The reason for this is an increase in cases.

Indonesian Ministry of Health warns of dengue virus in Bali

Gusti Ayu Raka Susanti, acting head of the Disease Prevention and Control (P2P) Department of the Bali Health Agency, recently warned about the spread of the disease. Accordingly, dengue fever cases are currently increasing in the country. The Indonesian regional government of Bali has now called on foreign tourists on the holiday island to get vaccinated against it.

According to Susanti, vaccination is currently not mandatory. Nevertheless, she strongly advises tourists to do so. This is the only way to have safe travel pleasure. Both locals and holidaymakers need to “protect themselves from dengue infections,” she says, according to The Jerusalem Post.

According to Tropeninstitut.de, the Ministry of Health is also calling on people on the island to protect themselves against mosquito bites. For example with mosquito nets or sprays.

The health authorities sometimes smoke residential areas to kill dengue fever mosquitoes.Image: Imago Images / Herwin Bahar

Dengue fever in Bali: This is how the viral disease spreads

There is no current data on tourists infected with dengue fever. But the number of cases is constantly increasing. In 2023, 114,720 dengue cases were recorded in Indonesia, resulting in 894 deaths. From January to April 2024, 4,177 people were registered in the province, five people died. A number that is relatively high.

Dengue fever is caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. The rise in dengue cases is attributed to the significant increase in the mosquito population that often occurs during the rainy season. The high humidity and stagnant water encourage the reproduction of mosquitoes. As the mosquito population increases, the risk of transmitting diseases such as dengue fever also increases.

Dengue fever is common in most tropical or subtropical countries in the world. The dengue virus infects nearly 400 million people in more than 120 countries every year. Most people survive with few or no symptoms, but more than two million people each year develop dangerous dengue hemorrhagic fever, which kills more than 25,000 people each year.

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