Diarrhea hospitalizes 36 and kills one on Panggang Island

JAKARTA (JP): An outbreak of diarrhea has killed one person and caused 36 other people to be hospitalized in Panggang -- one of the Seribu islands -- a newspaper report said.

The outbreak of the disease in the area was due to the dearth of drinking water during the current prolonged dry season, Suara Pembaruan reported yesterday.

The daily said the epidemic has affected area residents since early this month. It is feared that unless prompt and effective medical treatment is carried out, the disease could spread further and claim more lives.

Most of the victims suffered the disease because they were forced to drink contaminated water in the absence of drinking water.

"The shortage of drinking water in the area is the worst suffered by us in recent years," a resident said.

He said all the victims are now in intensive care at a nearby hospital but added that, "one of them died after several days at the hospital."

Polluted wells

He said all the wells in the area have practically dried up. "Even if there is still water in the wells, it is highly polluted," he said.

"Despite this fact," he added, "many people had no choice but to use it as drinking water. Obviously, this has only served to worsen their physical condition."

An official sent by the state-owned water company to provide drinking water to area residents said the condition of the people there was quite miserable.

"Besides diarrhea, many children there are suffering from severe skin diseases. They are a pitiful sight indeed," he said.

He said the city water company has distributed 35 tons of drinking water to the diarrhea-affected areas including Pulau, Pangang, Pramuka, Tidung, Kelapa and Untung subdistricts

Those areas are included on the list of the least developed villages in the country. (bas)