JAKARTA, (Saba) - The death toll from an outbreak of dengue fever in Indonesia rose to 224 on Sunday, a health official said.

Since the start of the year, at least 11,756 people in 20 provinces have been infected with the virus, said Dr Rita Kusriastuti of the health ministry.

In Jakarta alone the mosquito-borne disease has killed 47 people this year, she said.

The health department calls the dengue outbreak "extraordinary" because the number of infections is more than double those in the same period last year, official said.

Most of the cases are on the island of Java, where more than half of Indonesia's 212 million people live.

Cases of dengue have been increasing annually across Southeast Asia, the
World Health Organization has said.
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