Dengue fever hits Jakarta

1 Jakarta, Indonesia

Health authorities are warning travelers of a dengue fever outbreak in the Jakarta region. Since January, the Indonesian capital’s health agency has recorded 45 deaths among the 13,107 cases of the mosquito-borne fever. The outbreak has been declared an “extraordinary occurrence” by Jakarta Gov. Sutiyoso. The country also has been handling a continued outbreak of bird flu, which has caused 76 deaths since 2005, mostly in the provinces of West Java, Jakarta and Banten.

In other developments in the area, the Federal Aviation Administration announced recently that it had downgraded its rating of aviation safety in Indonesia because of serious concerns about the government agency that oversees civil aviation. About 120 people have died in recent months in a series of accidents and serious incidents in Indonesia. For more information: www.faa.gov/safety/programs_initiatives/oversight/iasa.

-- Dinda Jouhana

2 Cuba

Cuba says it will spend about $185 million to upgrade more than 200 resorts, golf courses, marinas and other facilities in a bid to reverse a dip in tourism.

The government has said the number of visitors to Cuba dropped by about 100,000 last year to 2.2 million, hurting the nation’s leading source of income. Washington’s 45-year-old trade embargo restricts American tourists’ travel to Cuba and chokes off most trade between the countries.

-- Associated Press

3 Italy

Thousands of tons of rubbish have been piling up in the streets of Naples and surrounding towns and villages, causing consternation as Italy’s peak tourist season approaches. The affected area includes such major visitor destinations as the ancient ruins of Pompeii.

The sole landfill still accepting trash was expected to be full by the end of last week, according to the website LifeinItaly.com. Frustrated locals have been setting fire to the putrid piles of refuse, creating potentially hazardous pollution.

Locals with environmental concerns have stalled plans to open new dumps.

Pompilio Fabrizi, commissioner of the Italian Government Tourist Board in Los Angeles, said authorities are working feverishly to resolve the situation. Guido Bertolaso, the official charged with resolving the crisis, anticipates a solution in the next few weeks, Fabrizi said.

To get updates on affected areas, call (310) 820-1898.

-- Beverly Beyette

4 Portugal

One of the hottest summers on record is being predicted for Portugal, leading the country’s national health organization to issue an alert.

In the summer of 2003, many died during a severe heat wave that swept Europe.

In parts of Portugal, which is one of the Continent’s warmest countries, temperatures on some days reached 95 degrees.

Miguel Carvalho, public relations manager for the Portuguese Trade and Tourism Office in New York, says hot weather should not discourage tourists. Although August is the hottest month, it is also the height of the tourist season.

-- Beverly Beyette

5 Thailand

and Bali

Tourist beaches in Southeast Asia reopened last week after giant waves triggered by intense winds crashed ashore, reviving memories of the deadly 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

The waves that struck earlier this month in parts of Indonesia, the Maldives, Thailand and Western Australia were as much as 23 feet tall.

At least one person was reportedly killed, and thousands were forced to evacuate their coastline homes.

The high waves temporarily closed popular beaches in Phuket in south Thailand (No. 5 on the above map) and Bali in Indonesia, among other sites. Officials say the waves were the result of a surge of irregular wind patterns in the Indian Ocean.

Strong winds are typical at this time of year, but scientists say these waves were unusually intense.

-- Hugo Martin