Thousands of infants suffer from malnutrition

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)