Malaria kills 11, infects 400 others in N. Sumatra

Malaria kills 11, infects 400 others in N. Sumatra

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

An outbreak of malaria has plagued the province of North Sumatra
in recent months, claiming the lives of at least 11 children and
infecting hundreds of others, according to local health
officials.

Most of the deaths occurred over the last two months in the
isolated village of Rianiate, some 40 kilometers from the South
Tapanuli capital of Padang Sidempuan.

However, the head of the South Tapanuli health office, Syah
Sinar Rambey, said on Wednesday the number of deaths had sharply
increased over the last two weeks.

He said the regency administration was providing health care
for at least 413 people believed to be suffering from malaria.

At least 63 of these people have had blood tests performed by
the health office to determine if they are suffering from
malaria, he added.

The dead have been identified as Saima, 13; Asma, 9; Masriani,
4; Salwa, 9; Defsi, 5; Banteng, 2; Risna, 4; Darwin, 12; Riski,
11; and Sahniar, 11 -- all residents of Rianiati. The 11th victim
was an unidentified child from the resettlement village of
Bukkas.

Rambey said the malaria outbreak was the result of an absence
of proper drainage systems in some villages in the area, many of
which were built on converted swamp land.

"So every time it rains, water stagnates there, creating
breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying the malaria virus," he
added.

He said his office had established community health posts in
the villages battling malaria to help residents eradicate the
disease. "We are also asking people to get rid of stagnating
water in their houses as part of the efforts to fight malaria."

The outbreak of malaria prompted South Tapanuli Regent Shaleh
Harahap to visit the affected villages of Rianiate and Bukkas on
Wednesday, where he handed over money and medical aid to the
sufferers.

He said on Thursday that the difficulty in reaching the
isolated villages had caused the late arrival of medicine,
contributing to the quick spread of malaria.

Meanwhile, legislator Ali Umar Tanjung urged the Medan
administration to take "concrete measures" to help the victims in
order to prevent further deaths.

There also have been malaria outbreaks in at least 11
regencies in Central Java, including Banyumas, Cilacap and
Banjarnegara and Kebumen.

More than 125 villagers have died of malaria in Cilacap,
Banyumas and Banjarnegara since floods hit the regencies last
October. The death toll rose after nine more deaths were recorded
in Kebumen late last month.

Thousands of other people in the province have been infected
with malaria.

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.

Last month, Minister of Health Ahmad Sujudi visited affected
villages in Banyumas to visit malaria sufferers, and handed over
Rp 500 million to purchase one ton of ICON pesticide.

The local health office has since sent workers to spray
pesticide in at least 15,000 houses in four subdistricts to kill
malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

However, the use of ICON to eradicate malaria has sparked a
new problem, as the pesticide is considered a threat to the
health of residents.

The coordinator of the Pesticide Action Network (PAN), Riza V.
Tjahjadi, said on Wednesday the use of ICON was dangerous because
it could poison people.

So far there have been no reports of illnesses caused by ICON,
though Riza said the pesticide contains an active poisonous
substance.