Diarrhea incidence surges after holidays

Diarrhea incidence surges after holidays

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

Dozens of people, mostly children, have died over the recent Idul
Fitri holidays across the country after suffering from serious
diarrhea.

Health officials announced on Saturday that at least 11
children died due to complications from severe diarrhea in the
past two days in South Sulawesi, while in Surabaya, the second
largest city in the country, 10 children under five had died
since the beginning of this month.

Meanwhile, in Solok, West Sumatra, four people had died and
263 others were hospitalized from Nov. 8 to 18, prompting the
Ministry of Health to place the regency under in a state of
health emergency.

South Sulawesi health agency deputy head Dr. Muhadir admitted
that the number of patients with severe diarrhea had increased up
to three times from the same period last year.

However, the local administration has yet to consider it a
full-fledged outbreak.

"We have deployed officers to supervise the treatment of
diarrhea patients here," he said.

The Makassar health agency head Armin Nurdin said that he had
instructed hospitals and public health centers to stay open 24
hours in order to deal with further cases in several areas,
including in Jumpandang Baru, Kassi-kassi, Tamalate, Tamangapa,
Antara, Bara-baraya and Maccinisawa.

The situation was similar in nearby regencies including in
Bone, Gowa, Paloppo, Sanjai, Wajo and Nulukumba.

Dr. Oerip Murtedjo of the Dr. Soetomo Hospital in Surabaya,
East Java said on Saturday that around six patients a day, on
average, were admitted to the hospital for diarrhea since the
beginning of the month.

Dr. Umar Fahmi Achmadi, the director-general of infectious
disease and sanitation with the Health Ministry, called on
hospitals and public health centers (Puskesmas) across the
country to stay alert for similarly severe cases of diarrhea in
their respective areas.

In a statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Saturday, Umar
Fahmi called on the people to pay more attention to personal
hygiene in a bid to prevent whatever was causing the infections.

Normally caused by an excess of E.coli bacteria, diarrhea is
most often associated with the consumption of unhygienic food or
water and unhygienic living conditions. Local doctors also
believe it is caused by changes in the weather. Most of the
country is beginning to enter the wet season this month.

In Makassar, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Alwi
Shihab said he would hold a ministerial meeting to discuss the
long-running diarrhea issue.

Speaking to reporters after visiting patients in Labuang Baji
hospital, Alwi said that the central government was considering
an allocation of special funds for diarrhea-afflicted children,
especially those who are malnourished, as they are particularly
vulnerable.

Since early November, more than 1,300 patients nationwide have
been admitted to hospitals due problems related to serious
diarrhea. Some caregivers said they had not been able to
accommodate all the patients that had flooded the health centers.