23 infants die in S. Kalimantan

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: Twenty-three children in South Kalimantan, all less than five years old, have died of marasmus since the onset of the economic crisis nearly two years ago, Governor Gusti Hasan Aman said here on Thursday.

"Some 161 more are suffering from (marasmus) and are currently receiving intensive medical treatment," Aman said at a coordination meeting of the provincial food and nutrition team, Antara reported.

Marasmus is a condition of chronic undernourishment which affects mostly children.

Also present at the meeting were State Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin, who said at least 114 of the 5,916 undernourished children across the country had died.

He urged an increase of campaigns to increase awareness of malnutrition, particularly in light of the fact that infants from middle-class families had also died of malnutrition.

Aman said parents' poor knowledge of marasmus and the high cost of medical treatment had led to increasing malnutrition among children.

Most of the infants who died were from the provincial capital of Banjarmasin, he said.

Saefuddin said in the 1999/2000 state budget, the government had allocated 250 tons of rice worth Rp 500 million to help overcome malnutrition in South Kalimantan.

"I hope this government assistance will really go to pregnant women and infants less than five years old suffering from marasmus," Saefuddin said. (anr)