Malaria claims nine lives in Kebumen
Malaria claims nine lives in Kebumen
Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Kebumen
Following the outbreak of malaria in the Central Java regencies
of Banyumas, Cilacap and Banjarnegara, the disease has spread to
the neighboring regency of Kebumen, claiming at least nine lives
in February.
Most of these victims were residents of Donorojo village in
Sempor subdistrict.
Kebumen Regent Rustriningsih, who made a visit to the village
last Friday, said she had ordered the local health office to take
emergency action to provide free medication for those with the
disease. She also ordered the health office to help in the fight
against anopheles mosquitoes to prevent the disease from
spreading to other villages in the regency.
She said some 200 locals, including 48 children, had been
infected with malaria. The local administration has provided Rp
100,000 to each of malaria sufferers to pay their medical and
other costs.
According to data from the local health office, many of those
with malaria also were suffering from acute lung disorders and
pneumonia.
"It is possible several of the nine victims died of the lung
disorder and pneumonia, but this still requires more
investigation," RAI Ageng S. Handoko, the spokesman for the local
administration, said.
He said medical teams from the health office were having
difficulties reaching remote villages where some of the malaria
victims lived.
"Some malaria sufferers also have to travel great distances to
reach a public health center because they live in isolated
villages," he said.
More than 125 villagers have died of malaria in Cilacap,
Banyumas and Banjarnegara since floods hit the regencies last
October. The provincial administration says 11 regencies in the
province have been affected by the disease during the rainy
season. There have been no measures taken at the national level
to fight the disease.
More than 30,000 people living in coastal and swampy areas in
Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Irian Jaya have died of malaria
over the last five years.