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.