Committed to anticipating the expansion of Dengue Fever, the Medical Records Students Association (MRSA) at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) gave a presentation regarding the ovitrap method and the cultivation of anti-mosquito plants. The Village Empowerment Program was dedicatedly presented to the locals of Tanjug Mas Kampung Bahari Tambak Lorok.

The program was attended by 50 participants, including 30 locals, 10 guests, and 10 organizers, accompanied by Maulana Tomy Abiyasa, A.Md.PK, SKM, M.Kom., a faculty member from the Department of Medical Records. Additionally, several prominent figures also made an appearance, including Atiek Prihatmiati K, SKM., (an expert from the Bandarharjo Health Center), Ripto (A representative from Tanjung Mas Kampung Bahari Tambak Lorok), and Yanto (a representative from the Semarang Health Service).

The Village Empowerment Team Leader, Fatimatul Fahmi, explained the program was conducted as a step to raise public awareness. Furthermore, it was also hosted to prevent Dengue Fever from spreading, cited from a book, ‘The 2022 Semarang Health Profile,’ Dengue Fever was listed in roughly 865 cases, with 33 leading to deaths. Thus, the IR value is 51,7 per 100.000 residents and CFR 3.83%.

“We would like to raise public awareness regarding Dengue Fever Handling so that the Dengue Fever cases could be reduced in Tanjung Mas, particularly at the 15th Neighborhood Association, Tambak Lorok. We implemented two methods at the program, namely developing an Ovitrap and anti-mosquito plant cultivation,” She explained.

She revealed that the Village Empowerment Team of the Medical Records Association at Udinus was helped by locals in creating 60 Ovitraps. Those Ovitraps would later be installed in the locals’ homes with several designated spots, encompassing the Neighborhood Hall, Community Clinic, and Greenhouse. For additional information, Ovitraps are mechanisms used to entrap mosquitos. These devices were used since they are cheap and easily made.

“In addition to creating and installing Ovitraps, we also planted five kinds of anti-mosquito plants, including lavender, calendula, rosemary, and zodiac. We will later put these plants along the park and at the locals’ homes,” Fatimatul revealed.

The Village Empowerment Program in itself is a program initiated by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Indonesia.

The team instructor, Maulana Tomy Abiyasa, A.Md.PK, SKM, M.Kom., hoped that this program could be useful for locals within the Tambak Lorok Neighborhood, Tanjung Mas Village, North Semarang. Moreover, through this program, students would be able to develop their thinking skills.

“The Village Empowerment Program serves as a platform for students to positively impact the public,” he hoped. (Humas Udinus/Alex. Foto: Dok. Tim P2MD Hm RMIK)