Over 100 die of drought-related illnesses in Mimika<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): More than 100 people from the villages of Alama,
\nNgim and Mbua Jigi in the Agimuga subdistrict of Irian Jaya's
\nMimika regency have died of malnutrition and drought-related
\nillnesses since Oct. 11, Antara reported yesterday.<\/p>\n
The news agency quoted Dr Ferenc Meyer of the Indonesian
\noffice of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) as
\nsaying that an ICRC-Indonesian Red Cross team had visited the
\narea Wednesday.<\/p>\n
He said the team went by helicopter to the remote villages and
\nfound that 103 people had died there due to this year's long
\ndrought.<\/p>\n
He said about 1,000 others in the area were in critical
\ncondition and needed immediate help.<\/p>\n
The dead were 33 Alama villagers, 10 Ngim villagers and 60
\nfrom Mbua Jigi, Meyer said.<\/p>\n
The ICRC sent a seven-member team including two doctors, two
\nnurses, a nutritionist and a malaria specialist from Freeport
\nmining company to the villages.<\/p>\n
They took with them a ton of rice donated by ICRC headquarters
\nin Geneva, Switzerland.<\/p>\n
The organization's dispatch of highly nutritious food, known
\nas Compact Food BP-5, has yet to reach Timika, where relief teams
\nare basing their activities.<\/p>\n
The nutritionist, Swiss Alain Mourey, has helped famine
\nvictims in Ethiopia, Somalia and Bangladesh, said Meyer.<\/p>\n
Preliminary examinations showed that most had died of
\nmalnutrition, diarrhea and malaria.<\/p>\n
Blood samples taken from 180 Alama villagers are being tested
\nat the Freeport laboratory in Timika.<\/p>\n
Meyer said poor weather had hampered relief activities in the
\nvillages which are some 1,000 meters above sea level and 30
\nkilometers from the city Mimika.<\/p>\n
He said other, inaccessible villages could be suffering the
\nsame plight.<\/p>\n
The drought has caused extensive damage in Irian Jaya,
\nincluding the food shortage and spread of diseases.<\/p>\n
Earlier reports had put the total number of dead due to
\ndrought-related illnesses at 528 people from three of Irian
\nJaya's regencies -- 430 deaths in Jayawijaya, 74 in Merauke and
\n24 in Puncak Jaya.<\/p>\n
The latest reported deaths in Mimika bring the number of
\nfatalities to more than 600 this year in Irian Jaya, one of
\nIndonesia's most underdeveloped provinces.<\/p>\n
Most of the province's two million inhabitants adhere to a
\ntraditional subsistence way of life.<\/p>\n
Also in Jayawijaya, some 90,000 residents were reportedly
\nliving under the threat of a malaria outbreak.<\/p>\n
Antara also reported yesterday that Jayawijaya Regent J.B.
\nWenas had said that many schools were closed because teachers and
\nstudents had to spend a lot of time foraging for food in the
\nforests.<\/p>\n
\"I am sure that once the drought is over and residents resume
\n(normal) daily activities, the schools will reopen,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, it was reported that thousands of tribal
\npeople in Maluku faced critical food shortages. (swe)<\/p>",
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