Diarrhea kills five, infects thousands

BANJARMASIN, South Kalimantan: Five people died and 12,340 others suffered from diarrhea in South Kalimantan during an outbreak of the ailment between January and July this year, an official said here over the weekend.

"That was an increase of 5 percent over an outbreak that occurred in the same period last year," head of the provincial health office, Dr. Soejono MD, was quoted by Antara as saying.

He blamed a shortage of clean water for the pandemic.

Areas which experienced an increase in diarrhea cases included Tabalong, Hulu Sungai Utara, Hulu Sungai Selatan, Tapin, Banjar and Barito Kuala.