Malaria outbreak hits Aceh
The Jakarta Post, Aceh/Surabaya/Yogya
At least 47 people in West Aceh regency died in the past eight months of malaria, a top government official said on Tuesday.
Malaria has been on the rise after recent outbreaks of dengue fever and diarrhea. The provinces worst affected by dengue and diarrhea include Yogyakarta, East Java, South Sulawesi and Riau.
West Aceh regent Syahbuddin said on Tuesday that the malaria outbreak hit Trieng subdistrict in the regency. He said that the outbreak occurred after residents left their swampy plantations unattended due to the prolonged conflict in the province, providing the ideal environment for the anopheles mosquito to breed.
When residents returned to their houses after the conflict subsided in recent months, the number of mosquitoes had already grown leading to a malaria outbreak.
Sources in the regency disclosed that the number of fatalities was actually much higher than the official data.
Mas Warman, the head of Sungai district in the regency, reported to the Aceh provincial administration that the malaria outbreak had claimed at least 117 lives in the district.
Malaria has also taken lives of another 91 people in the neighboring East Woyla district, said Marwan in his letter dated No. 21, as quoted by Antara news agency.
The letter was based on reports from 25 subdistrict heads in the two districts.
In the letter, Marwan urged the provincial administration to take immediate steps to contain the outbreak. One of the requests was to dispatch medical teams to malaria-infested areas.
The high number of fatalities was caused by the lack of medical facilities and delay in receiving treatment. Most of the victims lived in remote areas.
After North Sumatra and Riau provinces, the highest number of dengue cases were reported in Yogyakarta and East Java provinces.
In Yogyakarta, at least nine people contracted dengue in the past few weeks, but no fatalities were reported.
Choirul Anwar, the head of Yogyakarta Health Office, said that rain, which began to fall in the province in the past few weeks, provided the habitat for the aedes aegepty mosquito to breed.
The rain created puddles of water everywhere, providing a great habitat for the mosquito to breed, said Choirul.
Choirul said that his office would focus on destroying mosquito larvae to end the breeding cycle.
"We will encourage people to clean up their environment, for example the puddles," he said.
In East Java three residents were admitted to Soetomo Hospital after contracting dengue.
The patients have already been discharged after receiving medical treatment, said Urip Murtedjo, a doctor at the hospital.
Dengue has also claimed the lives of 14 people in North Sumatra and Riau provinces respectively in the past few weeks.
Meanwhile, besides dengue, a high incidence of diarrhea has also become a cause for concern in Surabaya and Yogyakarta, following reports of diarrhea in various cities nationwide, including Makassar, Semarang and Manado.
Scores of people were rushed to hospitals in Surabaya and Yogyakarta in the past few weeks due to dehydration as a result of diarrhea.
In order to help local residents cope, the Surabaya city administration will provide free treatment at state hospitals in the city, said Suparwoto, the spokesman of East Java provincial administration.