Diarrhea strikes NTT, 21 children die

KUPANG, East Nusa Tenggara: A recent occurrence of children with severe diarrhea in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province has claimed 21 lives, mostly children, over the last month.

In the worst-hit area, Timor Tengah Selatan regency, 16 children reportedly died due to the diarrhea -- the cause of which was still unknown to the health agency in the province.

In addition, 851 people were being treated in hospitals and health centers with similar symptoms. In Kupang regency, five people have died, with their deaths attributed to complications as a result of the same severe diarrhea.

Head of Timor Tengah Selatan regency's Health Office, Markus NG Righuta, said on Wednesday that 28 children with nearly identical symptoms were still being treated at hospitals and community health centers.

"The provincial administration has assisted in dealing with the problem by sending a medical team of four doctors and a lab analyst as well as extra medicine to the regency," Markus said.

East Java's environmental health technology agency also sent in a team of three doctors, he added.

The team, he said, would analyze the diarrhea cases in the province to produce a diagnosis and recommend prevention methods to avert a widespread outbreak. -- JP