Ecohealth Approach in Anticipating Japanese Encephalitis in Tulungagung District, East Java Province

Abstract

Japanese-B-encephalitis (JE) is a disease caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus from the Flavivirus group, the Flaviviridae family. In Indonesia, JE cases have not been widely reported in both animals and humans, although encephalitis in humans is common. Yamanaka reported positive for anti-JE antibodies in 96 (6%) pigs in Tulungagung District. Environmental elements need to be identified to support the establishment of a healthy ecosystem to minimize the potential of JE transmission. This study aims to identify the environment that can support JE transmission and conceptualize possible approaches. The method is carried out by conducting environmental observations of risky environmental conditions in April November 2016 and searching for supporting literature. The results showed that there were many puddles in the environment of chicken and pig farms. Besides that, there were many open puddles of household waste in the residential areas. This place is the habitat for Culex Sp. mosquitoes. Another research reported 19.05% of pigs who were positive for Ab JE in Tulungagung District. Environmental improvement can be done by cultivating fish that is resistant to dirty water, for example, catfish in ponds in chicken and pig farms and the construction of closed disposal facilities.