Diarrhea affects more people in NTT: Official<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang<\/p>\n
The situation continued to worsen in four regencies of East Nusa
\nTenggara province as the number of people known to be infected by
\nan unidentified epidemic, characterized by severe diarrhea, which
\nhas plagued 18 villages over the last several weeks, increased to
\n670 on Friday from 502 on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
So far, the death toll is officially 41.<\/p>\n
A majority of the infected people are undergoing intensive
\nmedical treatment in numerous public health centers and general
\nhospitals in the province.<\/p>\n
The regencies hit by the epidemic are all very remote areas,
\nBelu, about 200 km east of Kupang, Manggarai in western Flores
\nisland, Sikka in eastern Flores and the small island of Alor.<\/p>\n
According to the laboratory examination conducted by the local
\nhealth administration, the diarrhea outbreak had been exacerbated
\nby malnutrition and the poor environment.<\/p>\n
Maxi M. Taopan, chief of the contagious disease handling
\nsection of the local health office, said according to the
\nlaboratory tests conducted on 4,549 patients with the severe
\ndiarrhea, 65 percent of them were suffering from malnutrition.<\/p>\n
Combined with the change of season and the poor environment in
\nthe villages, the malnutrition had contributed to the outbreak,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\"But we have yet to identify specifically what triggered the
\noutbreak,\" he admitted.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Bria Yohannis, regent of the worst-hit area in
\nBelu, said his administration has set up a medical team both to
\ntreat the patients and to fight against the epidemic to prevent
\nit from spreading to other subdistricts.<\/p>\n
The local branch of the Indonesian Christian Student
\nAssociation (GMKI) has also been handing out medication free-of-
\ncharge in a number of subdistricts in the province to help local
\nauthorities fight against the epidemic.<\/p>",
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