Observing Dengue Fever, Malaria, and Chikungunya Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia: An Epidemiological and Climate Change Perspective

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription Access

Abstract

Introduction. Dengue Fever, Malaria, and Chikungunya persist as alarming global health threats. This paper aims to examines Dengue Fever, Malaria, and Chikungunya before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia for understanding epidemiological trends and developing evidence-based strategies of climate change impact.
Materials and methods. Data were collected since 2017-2022 from various sources, including national health surveys and meteorological agencies in Indonesia. Statistical analyses and correlations were conducted to understand the relationships between disease incidence, temperature, rainfall, and pandemic-related measures
Results. In Indonesia, Dengue fever incidence rose significantly from 26.1% in 2017 before the COVID-19 pandemic to 52.1% in 2022, malaria’s annual parasite incidence (API) increase by 0.6, from 1.0 per 1,000 population in 2017 to 1.6 in 2022 during the pandemic. Chikungunya cases surged by 23,6 times, increasing from 126 cases in 2017 to 2974 cases in 2022 From 2017 to 2019, temperature and rainfall showed a decreasing trend. However, between 2020 and 2022, both indicators fluctuated, with a notable spike in 2022 where rainfall reached 550 mm and temperatures increased by 1°C compared to previous years. An anomaly occurred in 2019 when both temperature and rainfall decreased, yet Dengue Fever Malaria, and Chikungunya cases increased.
Limitations. One limitation of this study is the potential for incomplete or inconsistent data reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic due to total lockdowns in Indonesia, which may affect the accuracy of the observed epidemiological trends.
Conclusion. Dengue Fever cases rose, possibly due to increased exposure at home. Malaria displayed a fluctuating trend, initially decreasing due to travel restrictions and possibly reduced testing coverage, then experiencing a rebound post-pandemic. Chikungunya’s surge during the pandemic and subsequent fluctuations underlines the need for ongoing disease surveillance. The correlation with environmental factors like temperature and rainfall underscores climate’s role in disease prevalence.

About the authors

Rosa K. Fatma

Lojejer Primary Health Care, Jember Health Department

Email: rosa.kumala19@gmail.com
S.KM., Epidemiologist, Field Epidemiologist, Lojejer Primary Health Care, Jember Health Department, 68162, Jember, Republic of Indonesia

Kurnia A. Akbar

Faculty of Public Health, Jember University

Email: ardiansyah_akbar@unej.ac.id
Ph.D., Asst. Prof., Faculty of Public Health, Jember University, 68121, Jember, Republic of Indonesia

References

  1. Mota M.T., Estofolete C.F., Zini N., Terzian A.C., Gongora D.V., Maia I.L., et al. Transverse myelitis as an unusual complication of dengue fever. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 2017; 96(2): 380–1. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.16-0284
  2. Nayak S., Kumar S., Jangid M., eds. Malaria detection using multiple deep learning approaches. In: 2nd International Conference on Intelligent Communication and Computational Techniques (ICCT). IEEE; 2019: 292–7.
  3. Jupp P., McIntosh B. Chikungunya virus disease. In: Monath T.P. The Arboviruses. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2019: 137–57. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429280245
  4. Wilson A.L., Courtenay O., Kelly-Hope L.A., Scott T.W., Takken W., Torr S.J., et al. The importance of vector control for the control and elimination of vector-borne diseases. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 2020; 14(1): e0007831. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007831
  5. Sitohang V., Sariwati E., Fajariyani S.B., Hwang D., Kurnia B., Hapsari R.K., et al. Malaria elimination in Indonesia: halfway there. Lancet Glob. Health. 2018; 6(6): e604–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2214-109x(18)30198-0
  6. Costa L.B., Barreto F.Kd.A., Barreto M.C.A., Santos T.H.P.D., Andrade Md.M.O.D., Farias L.A.B.G., et al. Epidemiology and economic burden of chikungunya: a systematic literature review. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023; 8(6): 301. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8060301
  7. Balthazard-Accou K., Millien M.F., Michel D., Jean G., Telcy D., Emmanuel E. Vector-Borne Diseases and Climate Change in the Environmental Context in Haiti. In: Otsuki T., ed. Environmental Health. IntechOpen; 2021: 1–27.
  8. Fauziyah S., Putri S.M.D., Salma Z., Wardhani H.R., Hakim F.K.N., Sucipto T.H., et al. How should Indonesia consider its neglected tropical diseases in the COVID-19 era? Hopes and challenges (Review). Biomed. Rep. 2021; 14(6): 53. https://doi.org/10.3892/br.2021.1429
  9. Mojahed N., Mohammadkhani M.A., Mohamadkhani A. Climate crises and developing vector-borne diseases: a narrative review. Iran. J. Public Health. 2022; 51(12): 2664–73. https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v51i12.11457
  10. Farida Y., Khariri A.F., Yuliati D., Khaulasari H. Clustering couples of childbearing age to get family planning counseling using k-means method. MATRIK: Jurnal Manajemen, Teknik Informatika dan Rekayasa Komputer. 2022; 22(1): 189–200. http://dx.doi.org/10.30812/matrik.v22i1.1888
  11. Srisuphanunt M., Puttaruk P., Kooltheat N., Katzenmeier G., Wilairatana P. Prognostic indicators for the early prediction of severe dengue infection: a retrospective study in a University Hospital in Thailand. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022; 7(8): 162. https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7080162
  12. Park J., Joo H., Maskery B.A., Alpern J.D., Weinberg M., Stauffer W.M. Costs of malaria treatment in the United States. J. Travel. Med. 2023; 30(3): taad013. https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taad013
  13. Pescarini J.M., Rodrigues M., Paixão E.S., Cardim L., Brito C.A.A., Costa M.D.C.N., et al. Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya viral circulation and hospitalization rates in Brazil from 2014 to 2019: An ecological study. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 2022; 16(7): e0010602. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0010602
  14. Chusyairi A. Clustering data cuaca ekstrim Indonesia dengan K-Means dan entropi. J. Inform. Commun. Technol. 2023; 5(1): 1–10.
  15. Norouzian F., Marchetti E., Gashinova M., Hoare E., Constantinou C., Gardner P., et al. Rain attenuation at millimeter wave and low-THz frequencies. IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag. 2020; 68(1): 421–31. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAP.2019.2938735
  16. Chen Y., Li N., Lourenço J., Wang L., Cazelles B., Dong L., et al. Measuring the effects of COVID-19-related disruption on dengue transmission in southeast Asia and Latin America: a statistical modelling study. Lancet Infect. Dis. 2022; 22(5): 657–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1473-3099(22)00025-1
  17. Maharaj R., Ward A., Didier B., Seocharan I., Firas N., Balawanth R., et al. The effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on malaria transmission in South Africa. Malar. J. 2023; 22(1): 107. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-023-04542-1
  18. Baker R.E., Mahmud A.S., Miller I.F., Rajeev M., Rasambainarivo F., Rice B.L., et al. Infectious disease in an era of global change. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 2022; 20(4): 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00639-z
  19. Shragai T., Tesla B., Murdock C., Harrington L.C. Zika and chikungunya: mosquito-borne viruses in a changing world. Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 2017; 1399(1): 61–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13306
  20. Cavany S.M., España G., Vazquez-Prokopec G.M., Scott T.W., Perkins T.A. Pandemic-associated mobility restrictions could cause increases in dengue virus transmission. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis. 2021; 15(8): e0009603. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009603
  21. Chandra G., Mukherjee D. Chapter 35 – Effect of climate change on mosquito population and changing pattern of some diseases transmitted by them. In: Sobti R.C., ed. Advances in Animal Experimentation and Modeling. Academic Press; 2022: 455–60.
  22. Yek C., Nam V.S., Leang R., Parker D.M., Heng S., Souv K., et al. The pandemic experience in Southeast Asia: Interface between SARS-CoV-2, malaria, and dengue. Front. Trop. Dis. 2021; 2: 788590. https://doi.org/10.3389/fitd.2021.788590
  23. Patz J., Brown E.D. Climate and Health. In: Foundations for Global Health Practice. John Wiley & Sons; 2018: 193–216.
  24. Des Roches S., Brans K.I., Lambert M.R., Rivkin L.R., Savage A.M., Schell C.J., et al. Socio-eco-evolutionary dynamics in cities. Evol. Appl. 2021; 14(1): 248–67. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13065
  25. Khan A. How environmental change will impact mosquito-borne diseases. Master’s Projects and Capstones. 2022; 1359. Available at: https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/1359

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML
Download

Copyright (c) 2025


СМИ зарегистрировано Федеральной службой по надзору в сфере связи, информационных технологий и массовых коммуникаций (Роскомнадзор).
Регистрационный номер и дата принятия решения о регистрации СМИ: серия ПИ № ФС 77 - 37884 от 02.10.2009.