Four young children die in West Sumba measles outbreak

Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post/Kupang

A measles outbreak has affected hundreds of children in West Sumba regency in eastern Indonesia over the past two weeks, claiming the lives of four children. The outbreak prompted the local administration to name it an extraordinary incidence and related agencies have been called on to curb the disease.

The disease has attacked mostly five-year-old children since Aug. 11. At least 116 toddlers in nine villages of Kori, Homba Karipit, Wailabubur, Mangganipi, Bukembero, Billa Cenge, Waiholo, Noha and Kelembu Kahadan Hoha Wungo in Kodi district, are still receiving treatment. Despite the scale of the epidemic, there has been no clarification from the local health office about the cause of the acute and highly contagious viral disease.

Head of the West Sumba Health Office, Marthen Caley, said on Thursday in Waikabubak that his office had dispatched medical teams to a number of locations.

Data from the office indicates that the four fatalities were one-year-old Daniel Ndara Magu and two-and-a-half year-old Wara Deghu from Mangganipi village, and one-year-old Kodi Kabura and four-year-old Hona from Bukembero.

"More than 100 children are still being treated at the Kori and Bukembero community health centers, and the Caritas Kori Hospital. The four children who died might have suffered from measles, breathing problems and diarrheal complications," said Marthen.

To prevent the spread of disease, the local administration has placed the affected areas under quarantine by recording the number of children who have contracted measles and keeping them within their homes.

"Another method is by vaccinating babies who have not yet been vaccinated," said Marthen.

Meanwhile, head of the East Nusa Tenggara Health Office Stef Bria Seran, acknowledged the measles epidemic in West Sumba.

"The office has immediately dispatched a epidemiology team and medicine to curb the disease," he said.

The number of children with measles is expected to increase because the medical team is still combing the affected areas from house to house. "There will probably be more victims because many children have not been immunized," said Stef.

Measles is generally marked by cough, high fever, a red blotchy rash on the face which then spreads over the entire body, reddened eyes, vomiting, diarrhea and difficulty in breathing. The disease hit the area in 1992. It attacked hundreds of toddlers in Alor regency in the middle of 2004, causing 26 deaths.