Diarrhea common in poor children: Survey<\/p>\n
Dewi Santoso, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Approximately 11 percent of children aged below five years old
\nsuffer from diarrheal diseases annually, a survey says,
\nhighlighting that the diseases remain a serious concern among
\ntoddlers in the country.<\/p>\n
Data from the Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (SDKI)
\nshows that in 2002 and 2003, approximately 11 percent of children
\naged below five, most of whom were from low-income families,
\nsuffered from diarrheal diseases. The percentage has not changed
\nsince 1997.<\/p>\n
Children aged below five account for 10.4 percent, or more
\nthan 22 million of the country's total population of 220 million.<\/p>\n
The data further shows that Bandung, West Java has the highest
\nincidence of diarrheal diseases among toddlers, (15 percent),
\nfollowed by Makassar, South Sulawesi, (16 percent).<\/p>\n
Team leader of the Coalition for Healthy Indonesia, Tini
\nHadad, said on Friday that lack of access to clean water caused
\ndiarrheal diseases to remain a serious issue among children of
\nlow-income families.<\/p>\n
\"The two cities (Bandung and Makassar) are capital cities in
\nwhich clean water is supposedly abundant and readily accessible,
\nbut, the fact is that it is not,\" said Tini.<\/p>\n
Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that
\nevery year, approximately 1.3 million children in developing
\ncountries die from diarrheal diseases.<\/p>\n
Data from the Ministry of Health shows that the fatality rate
\n(CFR) of children suffering from diarrheal diseases surged to 2.4
\npercent in 2002, from 1.9 percent in 2001.<\/p>\n
Tini criticized the government over the limited access to
\nclean water, saying it had not been paying enough attention to
\nhealth issues.<\/p>\n
\"The government must provide access to clean water and
\ninformation on how to live a healthy life,\" she said.<\/p>\n
For her part, she said, she would conduct a study in the two
\ncities to further collect data on children suffering from
\ndiarrheal diseases and their lifestyles, in order to better
\nunderstand the issue.<\/p>\n
The research will take five weeks and involve 700 respondents
\nfrom each city.<\/p>\n
Tini explained that when the study was finished, she would
\ntour the two cities to provide the people with information on
\nhealthy living and keeping the environment clean to prevent
\ndiarrheal diseases.<\/p>\n
She added that the research would also be used to design a
\nprogram on improving hygiene through behavioral changes,
\ncommunication and health promotion.<\/p>\n
\"The effort to improve health must come from all levels of
\nsociety, and that's why I encourage everyone to participate in
\npromoting a clean environment,\" said Tini.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/diarrhea-common-in-poor-children-survey-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}