Mayor wants better handling of diarrhea

North Jakarta Mayor Suprawito has instructed the mayoralty health office to intensify its efforts to help those suffering from diarrhea in Panggang island -- one of the Seribu islands, a newspaper report said.

Suara Pembaruan reported yesterday that the mayor hoped that the office would be able to get to the bottom of the matter as soon as possible.

"Our top priority is to send the patients to hospitals and distribute drinking water," said Pakpahan, a spokesman for the North Jakarta mayoralty administration.

An outbreak of diarrhea, caused by the dearth of clean drinking water during the current prolonged dry season, has killed one person and caused 36 other people to be hospitalized in Panggang island.

The epidemic has affected area residents since early this month. It is feared that the disease would spread further and claim more lives unless prompt and effective medical treatment is carried out.

The city water company has distributed 35 tons of drinking water to the diarrhea-affected areas including Pulau, Panggang, Pramuka, Tidung, Kelapa and Untung subdistricts. (yns)