Indonesia deals with dueling outbreaks as dengue cases spike

Rise in 'breakbone fever' adds stress to shaky infrastructure battling COVID-19

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A woman with her baby at a hospital in Jakarta. Health care facilities in Indonesia are being forced to juggle a rise in dengue cases with the coronavirus outbreak.  © AP

SHOTARO TANI and ISMI DAMAYANTI, Nikkei staff writers

JAKARTA -- Already struggling to cope with the spread of coronavirus, Indonesia's medical infrastructure is being pushed to the limit as the country sees a surge in potentially deadly dengue cases.

With the Southeast Asian archipelago notorious for inadequate medical infrastructure, a continued rise in cases of dengue fever -- or "breakbone fever" as it is also known -- alongside COVID-19 cases may potentially push it to the brink of collapse.

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