Malaria kills 20 in Mataram

Malaria kills 20 in Mataram

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: At least 20 residents in the district of Bayan, West Lombok, have died from malaria since September.

Secretary of Bayan district Wirya Kusuma said the 20 victims were residents of the villages of Malaka, Teres Genit and Tutul.

"Currently six people are in a serious condition," Kusuma said, adding that among the dead were a father and his two sons.

The village is located beneath Mount Rinjani and is accessible only by motorbike.

In the beginning residents did not understand the cause of the deaths until the local medical center identified the illness as malaria. --Antara