Malaria death toll reaches 107: Councillor

Malaria death toll reaches 107: Councillor

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Banyumas

Banyumas Legislative Council's commission E chairman
Musadad Bikri Noor said here on Tuesday that 107 had died from
malaria between August 2001 and January this year, despite
consistent denials from the health office, which claimed that
only one person had died from malaria last December.

"These figures are based on the reports made by village and
district heads that we collected during our recent impromptu
visits to four districts. The reports say that as many as 107
people died from malaria between August of last year and this
January," he said after the commission's meeting.

Previously, the councillors said that malaria had killed 54,
and on Saturday the commission revealed that the death toll had
reached 60.

Musadad said that the fatalities were reported in ten
villages. "Twenty-three people died in the villages of Bogangin,
Selanegara, Banjarpenepen and Ketanda in the district of Sumpiuh.
In the villages of Karanggintung, Karangmalang, Peterongan and
Alasmalang in the district of Kemranjen, 46 people were reported
dead from malaria. In the village of Kemangi and Tenggeran in
Kemranjen district, 30 people died, and another eight fatalities
were reported dead in the village of Watu Agung in Tambak
district."

Musadad said that no laboratory tests had been conducted to
prove that all 107 victims had died from malaria. But he said
they had suffered from symptoms very similar to those of malaria.

He added that around 10,000 people were still being treated
for the disease.

The Ministry of Health had earlier said that all provinces in
the country, except Jakarta, had areas vulnerable to malaria,
with Irian Jaya heading the list.

Central Java was also said to be malaria endemic.

The Banyumas Health Office head Choerul Mufied was sticking to
his claim that only one person had died from malaria, but he
admitted that thousands had been treated for the disease. "Most
of the patients are residents of Ketanda, Watu Agung, Karangsalam
and Karanggintung villages."

Commission E, which is responsible for public welfare, also
recommended that the Health Office be transparent about the
number of fatalities and patients hospitalized due to malaria.

"The Health Office has tended to cover up the case. It's a
fact that thousands of people have suffered due to the deaths of
relatives and family members," Musadad said.

He added that whatever the name of the disease that was
striking the regency, it was a reality that many people had died.
"There must be something wrong and the Health Office should have
been proactive in responding to the situation."