JAKARTA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia needs to develop a roadmap involving communities in efforts to handle the dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) situation as cases have surged recently in the Southeast Asian country.

Edy Wuryanto, a member of the parliament, made the appeal on Tuesday. "We need to prepare health workers to accompany the community, and intensify public health education," said Wuryanto.

Community involvement in eradicating DHF is now weaker than in the 1990s, Wuryanto noted.

According to Siti Nadia Tarmizi, head of public communication and services at the health ministry, Indonesia has recorded 35,556 dengue cases with 290 deaths from January to March this year, more than double the 15,886 cases with 118 deaths reported a year earlier.

The case number has increased rapidly from 15,977 at the end of February, with infections mainly reported in the provinces of West Java, East Java, South East Sulawesi, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Lampung.

Global warming including El Nino which has extended the dry season, is one of the factors triggering the surge in cases, said Tarmizi.

The Indonesian health ministry estimates that the dengue cases will keep surging till the peak period in April. Enditem

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