Diarrhea claims 14 lives in Kupang

Diarrhea claims 14 lives in Kupang

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: An outbreak of diarrhea has
blighted the East Nusa Tenggara village of Tanini over the last
two months, leaving at least 14 people dead and dozens of others
in a critical condition.

The high number of fatalities is largely because of the lack
of access to emergency medical aid, Daniel Tomeno, a community
leader, said on Thursday.

"The absence of medics in the village has forced sufferers and
their relatives to use ineffective traditional medicines. They
take a long time to reach the public health center and are
usually too late to obtain medical aid," Daniel said.

Daniel, along with fellow community leaders in the village,
met with Kupang Regent Ibrahim A. Medah to complain about the
government's belated move to tackle the endemic.

In his response, Ibrahim promised to establish a public health
center with an adequate number of medics. -- JP