17,000 infants suffer from malnutrition

INDRAMAYU, West Java: Although known as one of Indonesia's rice bowls, Indramayu nevertheless has 17,847 malnourished infants.

The infants are found in all 28 districts of the regency.

Of the 17,847 infants, 1,525 are suffering from marasmus, the worst form of malnutrition, senior health officer Lili Tatiyanti explained. "Most of these infants live in rural areas and come from poor families," said Lili, an officer with the Indramayu health agency. There are a total of 134,567 infants in the regency.

The regental government has earmarked Rp 200 million (US$21,276) in order to tackle the problem of malnutrition. -- JP