Malaria spreads in Papua, W. Java

Malaria spreads in Papua, W. Java

Nethy Dharma Somba and Yuli Tri Suwarni, Jayapura/Bandung

Health officials in Papua and West Java provinces are expressing
concern over the increase in the number of malaria cases caused
by the spread of the anopheles mosquito in the provinces.

According to an official at Papua Provincial Health Office,
Tigor Silaban, malaria has become the leading cause of death in
Papua.

The Papua Health Office recorded 16,771 malaria cases in the
first half of 2004 in the province where the disease is endemic.
The number of people who contracted malaria dropped to 72,198 in
2001 from 125,148 in year 2000, but the number rose again to
77,716 in 2002 and even soared to 185,843 in 2003.

A malaria eradication project officer for Gkobal Fund, Wimbadi
Sigit, said on Saturday that, "The reason for the high incidence
of the disease are the people's lack of hygiene. Other factors
are the Papua's topography, which is densely forested and swampy,
and an even rainfall throughout the province are all conditions
in which the anopheles mosquito can multiply."

The Geneva-based Gkobal Fund has been in Papua since July last
year, implementing a malaria eradication program in Biak, Sorong,
Yapen and Waropen regencies.

The organization has recruited around 358 members assigned to
the four regencies to provide medical treatment and to implement
the malaria eradication program.

Wimbadi Sigit expressed concern that despite his
organization's efforts, few people had access to immediate
treatment for the disease due to Papua's vast territory.

He also said that people traveling to Papua should be advised
to take malaria tablets beforehand.

A similar concern was expressed by Fatimah Resmiati, the head
of the Environment Sanitation Unit of the West Java Health
Office. She encouraged anyone planning to visit Sukabumi,
Cianjur, Garut, Tasikmalaya and Ciamis regencies to take the
malaria tablets chloroquine or primaquine beforehand.

The disease has claimed four lives and infected 461 people in
Sukabumi regency so far this year.

Fatimah said that the malaria epidemic had spread not only in
Sukabumi regency but to four other regencies. The highest number
of cases were observed in Sukabumi and Garut.

"There are two elongated lagoons in the two regencies in the
south that are believed to be the breeding places for the
anopheles mosquito," she told reporters in Bandung on Monday.

Some 206 malaria cases have been detected in Cibalong district
in Garut regency from January until June, but there have been no
deaths reported.