17,000 infants suffer from malnutrition

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