Hunger, malaria claim more lives in Maluku

M. Azis Tunny and Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Wawasa/Kupang

Hunger and malaria have claimed 22 lives in Wawasa hamlet in Amarsekaru village, Gorom island district in East Seram regency, Maluku in the last three months, officials say.

According to the Maluku provincial health agency, starvation weakens the residents and makes them less resistant to malaria.

"This (starvation) increases the number of deaths. Their weakened immune systems cannot fend off such things as malaria. This is very dangerous," Christian Siahaya, a health agency official, told The Jakarta Post while visiting Wawasa hamlet on Saturday.

Apart from suffering from starvation, 752 of the hamlet's 2,103 residents were suffering from malaria. And out of the 22 deaths, 10 were children under five years old and two were pregnant women.

One Wawasa resident, Ahmad Keliata, 32, said it had been three months since he could work because he was too sick, forcing his wife and four children to survive on dried cassava and their remaining supply of dried fish.

"It's been three months, and I can't work because of my sickness. I can't take the medicine the doctor gave me either because I don't have enough to eat. I'm not the only one experiencing this, but also many other Wawasa residents," he said.

Ahmad said the residents were hoping to get free food. "All we need is food because we're sick and can't work to support our families," he said.

The provincial health agency and the Ministry of Health have sent medical teams to deal with the malaria, which has been declared as extraordinary incident.

Maluku Governor Alberth Karel Ralahalu visited Wawasa on Thursday to monitor the delivery of food aid, including seven tons of rice, a ton of sugar, 100 boxes of instant noodles, 10 boxes of canned fish along with cooking oil, in addition to second-hand clothes and medicine.

Ralahalu said the food aid was not enough, and would only last for about two weeks. "We'll send in more after getting a report from our officials there," he said.

He said his office would conduct routine checks as well as providing medical treatment. "There are officials there whose responsibility is to mitigate the spread of malaria, so it will not attack neighboring villages," Ralahalu said.

East Seram Regent Abdul Gani Wokanubun blamed the problems on the lack of communication and transportation, as well as lack of medical workers and facilities.

"The regency, which comprises many small islands, only has three doctors. And the condition of our community health centers is bad," Abdul said.

In East Nusa Tenggara province, the provincial administration recently released on Saturday official figures on the food crisis after previously playing down media reports on the crisis, which happened due to prolonged drought and harvest failure.

Deputy Governor Frans Leburaya disclosed that at least 188,906 people, or 43,401 families in the province's 229 villages, were placed in the high risk category to suffer a lack of food. The other 33,987 families or 162,447 people in 348 villages with medium risk; and 217,855 people or 57,720 families in 429 villages were low risk.

The administration also disclosed that some 452,920 residents in 117 districts (1,108 villages) had suffered harvest failure and in were need of the food aid assistance.

Head of the food supply division at the province's community supervision body, Petrus Langoday, said 15 regencies had experienced prolonged drought and harvest failures, with eight regencies in a very critical condition.

The worst hit areas were Belu regency, with 17,334 hectares of paddy field unable to produce; Timor Tengah Selatan with 10,952 hectares; East Sumba with 9,438 hectares; Sikka with 6,843 hectares; Lembata with 5.977 hectares; Kupang with 5,007 hectares; Ngada with 4,713,76 hectares; and East Flores with 4,682 hectares.

"The harvest failure was caused by lack of rain between December 2004 and February this year," Petrus deduced.