More toddlers die from severe malnutrition

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.