38 people die after eating leftover pork

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.