More toddlers die from severe malnutrition

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Jayapura

Despite the millions of dollars in relief aid pledged to the tsunami-ravaged province of Aceh, children are suffering from severe malnutrition in several areas, with two infants dead.

Provincial health agency deputy head Anjar Asmara confirmed on Saturday that the two children had received treatment for several days in local hospitals but their condition had deteriorated to the extent that doctors could not save their lives.

Anjar said the children had been living in refugee camps in the Bireuen and Central Aceh regencies.

He added that one of the children, Harismunandar, was improving when he received intensive treatment at Bireuen Hospital but suddenly died on Thursday.

Anjar did not identify the second casualty.

"We're now checking refugee camps to find children who are suffering from health problems, especially malnutrition, and we also encourage people to report their children's health condition to the agency," Anjar said quoted by Antara.

More than 500,000 people were left homeless following the major earthquake and killer tidal waves which also claimed over 129,000 lives in Aceh last December. The disaster also killed hundreds of people on Nias Island.

Cases of malnutrition have also been reported in Jayapura in Papua. Dok II Jayapura Hospital said it had treated six children suffering from severe malnutrition locally known as busung lapar.

One of the children, three-year-old Stella, had died, while a 10-year-old boy, Kaleb, was still undergoing treatment. The other four were improving, the hospital said.

Kaleb is also suffering from a lung disease, which doctors said was probably caused by his low-nutrition diet.

A pediatrician at the hospital, Abdul Rohim, said there were a lot of malnourished children in the easternmost province but only those who suffered the most were admitted to the hospital.

Rohim suspected only a fraction of the total number of malnourished children had been recorded in the province due to lack of communication facilities and the difficulty in reaching isolated areas.

"Not only are we short of food supplies, but (the residents) lack knowledge about proper nutrition, sanitation and major health problems like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS," Rohim said.

Papua is one of the most disadvantaged provinces in the country, despite its rich natural resources.

Malnutrition cases have also emerged in the Lende resettlement area near the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu.

"They do not consume enough food every day, let alone nutrients," Adriani Hatta, a Women and Children Care (KPPU) activist, said in Palu on Saturday.

Adriani said children in the resettlement used to eat small portions of rice and a small amount of vegetables each day before crop failures in the area. The local government did little to provide aid, she said.

"If this situation does not change, then these children will easily fall prey to many diseases, including complications from advanced malnutrition," Adriani said.

There are 61 children in Lende camp, whose ages range from three months old to 14, who needed serious attention due to their deteriorating health, Adriani said.

She attributed the problem to the absence of a health center in Lende, with the nearest hospital located several kilometers away from the camps.

In neighboring Southeast Sulawesi, two-year-old Iman was suffering from severe malnutrition, reports said.

However, his parents Rasidin and Ruha said they did not want to take their son to a doctor because they had no money.