More toddlers die from severe malnutrition<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Jayapura<\/p>\n
Despite the millions of dollars in relief aid pledged to the
\ntsunami-ravaged province of Aceh, children are suffering from
\nsevere malnutrition in several areas, with two infants dead.<\/p>\n
Provincial health agency deputy head Anjar Asmara confirmed on
\nSaturday that the two children had received treatment for several
\ndays in local hospitals but their condition had deteriorated to
\nthe extent that doctors could not save their lives.<\/p>\n
Anjar said the children had been living in refugee camps in
\nthe Bireuen and Central Aceh regencies.<\/p>\n
He added that one of the children, Harismunandar, was
\nimproving when he received intensive treatment at Bireuen
\nHospital but suddenly died on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Anjar did not identify the second casualty.<\/p>\n
"We're now checking refugee camps to find children who are
\nsuffering from health problems, especially malnutrition, and we
\nalso encourage people to report their children's health condition
\nto the agency," Anjar said quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
More than 500,000 people were left homeless following the
\nmajor earthquake and killer tidal waves which also claimed over
\n129,000 lives in Aceh last December. The disaster also killed
\nhundreds of people on Nias Island.<\/p>\n
Cases of malnutrition have also been reported in Jayapura in
\nPapua. Dok II Jayapura Hospital said it had treated six children
\nsuffering from severe malnutrition locally known as busung lapar.<\/p>\n
One of the children, three-year-old Stella, had died, while a
\n10-year-old boy, Kaleb, was still undergoing treatment. The other
\nfour were improving, the hospital said.<\/p>\n
Kaleb is also suffering from a lung disease, which doctors
\nsaid was probably caused by his low-nutrition diet.<\/p>\n
A pediatrician at the hospital, Abdul Rohim, said there were a
\nlot of malnourished children in the easternmost province but only
\nthose who suffered the most were admitted to the hospital.<\/p>\n
Rohim suspected only a fraction of the total number of
\nmalnourished children had been recorded in the province due to
\nlack of communication facilities and the difficulty in reaching
\nisolated areas.<\/p>\n
"Not only are we short of food supplies, but (the residents)
\nlack knowledge about proper nutrition, sanitation and major
\nhealth problems like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV\/AIDS," Rohim
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Papua is one of the most disadvantaged provinces in the
\ncountry, despite its rich natural resources.<\/p>\n
Malnutrition cases have also emerged in the Lende resettlement
\narea near the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu.<\/p>\n
"They do not consume enough food every day, let alone
\nnutrients," Adriani Hatta, a Women and Children Care (KPPU)
\nactivist, said in Palu on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Adriani said children in the resettlement used to eat small
\nportions of rice and a small amount of vegetables each day before
\ncrop failures in the area. The local government did little to
\nprovide aid, she said.<\/p>\n
"If this situation does not change, then these children will
\neasily fall prey to many diseases, including complications from
\nadvanced malnutrition," Adriani said.<\/p>\n
There are 61 children in Lende camp, whose ages range from
\nthree months old to 14, who needed serious attention due to their
\ndeteriorating health, Adriani said.<\/p>\n
She attributed the problem to the absence of a health center
\nin Lende, with the nearest hospital located several kilometers
\naway from the camps.<\/p>\n
In neighboring Southeast Sulawesi, two-year-old Iman was
\nsuffering from severe malnutrition, reports said.<\/p>\n
However, his parents Rasidin and Ruha said they did not want
\nto take their son to a doctor because they had no money.<\/p>",
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