Eleven die in diarrhea outbreak

SIMEULEU, West Aceh: Eight people have died and 300 others are seriously ill following an outbreak of diarrhea in the subdistricts of Central and East Simeuleu.

Kompas quoted Iman Jaya SKM of the local health office as saying that the illness struck suddenly. He said the authorities had dispatched a team of paramedics to the stricken areas of the island.

AFP quoted Syarifuffin, the head of the Aceh provincial health office, as saying the illness had been caused by bad hygiene and a shortage of clean drinking water. It had spread to other subdistricts there.

The island, home to 62,000 people, has no hospitals and only a few small public health centers. (swe)