Diarrhea outbreak in West Java

INDRAMAYU, West Java: A child died and 57 other people were hospitalized here last week as diarrhea hit the area.

The affected people, who included infants, came to a public hospital for treatment. "Some of those who came on Friday were already in a critical condition," the Antara news agency quoted Dr. Eddy, the hospital director, as saying.

He said that, although one of the infants was dead, the situation was under control.

A week earlier at least 70 people suffering from same disease were treated at the same hospital. One of them later died while receiving treatment, Antara reported.

The situation worsened when the hospital began to run out of the fluid used to rehydrate the diarrhea patients.

The father of one child told Antara over the weekend: "I had to buy 10 bottles of the medicinal liquid at a local drugstore for Rp 25,000 ($11)."