Illnesses discovered among thousands of survivors

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Aceh Jaya, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam

Still dealing with their grief, loss and trauma from the crushing tsunami, survivors at shelters must now cope with various illnesses arising from poor sanitation.

Thousands of survivors at shelters in Lamno, a subdistrict of Aceh Jaya regency, have developed ailments such as diarrhea, acute respiratory problems and skin irritations.

Paramedics at medical centers in Lamno recorded a surge in the number of survivors seeking treatment.

Data collected by The Jakarta Post revealed that over 5,000 survivors had received treatment for a variety of illnesses.

Medical workers treated from 300 to 600 patients daily, said the Lamno coordinator for Humanity First paramedic teams, Jenny Bachruddin.

Jenny was concerned that the illnesses could spread further to other areas if sanitation at temporary shelters was not improved or possibly deteriorated during the rainy season.

Aside from the shelters, many internally displaced people are living in schools, mosques, government offices and marketplaces.

"It is difficult to maintain good sanitation, given the great difficulties in finding clean water. Some of the survivors said they did not receive their water rations three days ago, when a chopper from Banda Aceh delivered them," Jenny added.

Another cause for concern over post-disaster diseases was a general shortage of medical supplies and lack of medical professionals to care for languishing survivors.

Only 13 doctors are available to treat the more than 12,000 tsunami survivors in Lamno.

Medical centers in the subdistrict were barely equipped to treat patients with serious illnesses, and those who needed intensive medical treatment had to be flown to Banda Aceh.

The survivors were already in bad shape upon their arrival at the Lamno shelters, which made them more vulnerable to various health problems.

Those who survived the tidal waves were utterly exhausted from traveling several days from their hometowns to Lamno over mountains and across rivers.

Aside from health problems, survivors in Lamno are facing logistical problems as a result of the vast destruction of basic infrastructure, as well as security problems that have been blamed on the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Much-needed fuel was also scarce, as it could only be delivered to Lamno by sea, as roads leading to the area had been severed by tidal waves.

Nightly burglaries of local stores selling basic supplies, allegedly by GAM members, has prompted storekeepers to close shop early, which has added to the shortage.

Lamno has long been said to be one of GAM's strongholds.