38 people die after eating leftover pork

Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura, Papua

Thirty-eight residents of the mountainous Bintang regency in Indonesia's westernmost province of Papua have died due to food poisoning after consuming leftover pork.

The deaths occurred in 10 subdistricts in Borme district in the regency, located some 600 kilometers southwest of Jayapura, the capital of Papua.

"We got the report on Jan. 17 from the head of Borme District Community Health Center," Paminto Widodo, the coordinator of the Health Crisis Center at the Papua provincial health office, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

According to Paminto, the center has analyzed the report and concluded that the deaths and dysentery were caused by food contaminated with shigella and staphylococcus bacteria.

He said that the food was left over from a Christmas celebration in the area held at the end of December last year.

Paminto explained that last year local residents from 10 subdistricts held a huge Christmas party. The residents cooked and ate various dishes in the function, including pork, he said. Apparently, they could not finish the food and so they brought the leftover pork home.

The Papuans have their own method of preserving food.

"The leftover pork was contaminated by bacteria. Some people who ate the contaminated food died, while others had to be taken to local community health centers as they were suffering from severe stomach pains," he said.

Besides the 38 locals who died, a further 1,857 residents suffered from food poisoning. There are a total of 11,820 residents in the 10 subdistricts.

Paminto said that the Papua provincial health office had dispatched a team to the district to assist local doctors. He said that the team had not yet reported to its headquarters in Jayapura due to geographical and transportation problems.

A similar incident occurred in 2001 in Warmare area in Manokwari regency, in which 15 people were killed.