Hunger, malaria claim more lives in Maluku

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.