Disease hits flood victims in Sumatra

Oyos Saroso and M. Huzair, The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung/Palembang

Thousands of refugees in flood-hit areas in Sumatera are contracting serious diseases because of inadequate shelter and a lack of clean water, officials say.

In Lampung, more than 1,500 people were treated by doctors during the weekend with about 6,500 recorded to be suffering from a series of ailments ranging from skin rashes to dysentery and cholera.

In Ryacudu Hospital in North Lampung, at least 40 children have been treated during the past few days for dysentery and cholera. Children were most at risk from these life-threatening illnesses, while adults more often contracted skin and respiratory infections, health workers said.

Officials were concerned the number of ill could rise because clean water being distributed by provincial and regental governments had still not reached all the affected areas on Sunday.

A Tulangbawang regency senior official, Asnawi Zein, said the Tulangbawang government was providing free medical services for the sick.

The flooding in Lampung this year, which began about 10 days ago, is more severe than similar floods in 2002. It has affected every region except the Metro municipality and Tanggamus regencies, which have better irrigation and sewage systems.

As of Sunday, the trans-Sumatra highway connecting Lampung and Medan remained closed, with water cutting off the Way Tulangbawang bridge.

Water levels in several places in Tulangbawang regency had gone down to 30 centimeters as of Sunday, from one to two meters a few days ago.

In South Sumatra, a government official estimated that hundreds of people in the province were also sick from flood- related illnesses. Five regencies in the province have been affected, including Ogan Komering Ilir, Ogan Ilir and Musi Banyuasin.

"We do not have the exact data," Chairil Zaman, the head of South Sumatra provincial health office, said.

The office had prepared command posts in areas affected by the flooding in order to provide medical treatment, he said.

Aswan, 54, a resident who visited a center in Muara Kuang, Ogan Ilir, said that had suffered from influenza for the past two days.

"Our neighborhood is very cold at night, as water still covers many areas in our subdistrict," Aswan said.

A health worker at the command post said on Sunday workers had treated about 20 people suffering from cases of the flu and dysentery.