Nothing done to fight malaria<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto<\/p>\n
A malaria outbreak that has killed more than 100 people in
\nCentral Java in recent months has continued its deadly spread
\nthrough the Banyumas regency with local officials doing nothing
\nto stop it.<\/p>\n
The surprising death toll prompted Minister of Health Ahmad
\nSujudi to visit the worst hit town of Banyumas last month where
\nhe pledged to help provide one ton of insecticide, valued at Rp
\n500 million, to kill the malaria virus-carrying mosquitoes.<\/p>\n
The promised insecticide has reportedly arrived in Banyumas,
\nbut local health officials say they can not distribute it as the
\ncosts, estimated at Rp 189 million, were prohibitive.<\/p>\n
Data from the Commission E of the Banyumas legislative council
\nshows that at least 107 people were killed by malaria at 17
\nvillages in Banyumas. It has also infected thousands of others.<\/p>\n
The Banyumas health office, however, said the death toll stood
\nat only 13 people.<\/p>\n
Local health officials said the number of people infected by
\nmalaria in the 17 villages, in the subdistricts of Somagede,
\nTambak, Sumpiuh and Kemranjen, had risen due to the absence of
\neffective measures to fight against the disease.<\/p>\n
There was no exact figures of more deaths, however.<\/p>\n
Eko Nurdiyanto, head of the Somagede community health center,
\nconfirmed recently the rise in the number of villagers suffering
\nfrom malaria.<\/p>\n
\"An average of four people come to Puskesmas in Kemawi village
\nevery day to get their health checked for malaria. At other
\nhealth centers others are also doing the same,\" he told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Andi Yono, an official in charge of dealing with contagious
\ndiseases at the Banyumas health office, also confirmed malaria
\ncases were on the rise.<\/p>\n
\"Based on reports filed to us that there have no signs of a
\ndecrease. The number of sufferers is tending to be on the
\nincrease,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Choerul Mufied, head of the Banyumas health office, said last
\nmonth that the government would soon move to spray the affected
\nvillages.<\/p>\n
But up to now, nothing has been done to kill mosquitoes.<\/p>\n
The absence of any steps to eradicate mosquitoes has caused
\ndoctors in villages to worry about the further spread of malaria,
\nwhich later could increase the death toll.<\/p>\n
\"The spraying medicine assistance is still stuck at the
\nBanyumas district health office and has not arrived here yet. I
\ndon't know why,\" Eko said.<\/p>\n
Yono said the distribution of the medicine was hampered by a
\nshortage of funds to finance the costs of buying spraying
\nequipment, and the subsequent operating costs.<\/p>\n
\"For operational costs we need at least Rp 39 million and the
\ncentral government has yet to provide the promised funding,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The funds were enough to cover the costs of spraying 15,000
\nhouses in the four malaria-hit subdistricts, Yono added.<\/p>\n
\"Apart from that, we also need 100 spraying units that cost
\naround Rp 1.5 million each.\"<\/p>\n
Though the local health office continued to provide widespread
\ntreatment for malaria sufferers in 17 villages, the move was not
\neffective in reducing case numbers, he said.<\/p>\n
\"If the number of sufferers rises, it is normal because ...the
\nsource of the disease (mosquitoes) is not killed,\" Yono said.<\/p>\n
Musadad Bikrie, head of the local legislature's commission E,
\ncriticized the government's reported sluggish moves in
\neradicating the deadly tropical disease.<\/p>\n
\"If it is true that the government has not taken a measure yet
\nto kill the disease, it's too much. They (government officials)
\nhave no sense of crisis in dealing with the case,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Musadad, who first revealed the death toll of 107 people, said
\nthat with the absence of measures to halt its spread, the number
\nof sufferers was expected to rise to more than 15,000 people.<\/p>\n
He said that malaria had previously attacked more than 10,000
\nvillagers per month since January.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nothing-done-to-fight-malaria-1447893297",
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