Illnesses discovered among thousands of survivors

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.