Thousands of infants suffer from malnutrition

SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): At least 27,300 infants in Cirebon, West Java, are suffering from malnutrition, Minister of Social Affairs Justika Baharsjah said.

"This huge figure bothers us all. I have ordered all officials in the province to take care of the problem," Justika said during a visit here Wednesday night.

She said malnutrition was most prevalent among infants in West Sumatra, followed by Central Java and West Java, but did not reveal the latest figures.

"Reports are coming from various provinces, but I forgot the details," she was quoted by Antara as saying.

"We expect to overcome this problem within three years, particularly with the help our country receives from donors and the United Nations Children's Fund," she said.

State Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin said recently a total of 165 malnourished babies died in August.

Saefuddin said reported cases of malnutrition among children across the country jumped from 786 in April to an estimated 10,000 in August.

Severe malnutrition can negatively impact children's intelligence and health, which in the long run will create a lost generation, Justika said.

She also expressed concern over the widespread use of narcotics and psychotropic drugs. "We have to fight this."

Separately in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Deputy Governor Husein Effendi said some 152 infants there suffered from marasmus because their mothers were unwilling to breast-feed them.

"The mothers are afraid of losing their beauty," Husein was quoted as saying by Antara on Wednesday.

"Mothers must realize that breast-feeding is the best way to provide infants with adequate nutrition," he said. (edt)