Two more babies die of malnutrition in Central Java

KARANGANYAR, Central Java (JP): At least two babies have died of malnutrition, 55 more are severely undernourished while more than 5,900 under-five-year-old children have been suffering from various symptoms of hunger-related diseases over the past two months, an official says.

Farida, the deputy chief of the Karanganyar health office, identified the two fatalities in the regency as 10-month-old Fika Javira and 21-month-old Purwanti. In addition to severely undernourished, the two babies had suffered from heart problems and bronchitis, Farida said.

The regency administration has, through its social safety net program, distributed nutritious supplementary food for the children worth Rp 2,500 per day for 90 days, Farida said.

Many areas in the country were hit by marasmus, a condition of chronic undernourishment which affects mainly children.

State Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M. Saefuddin said recently a total of 165 malnourished babies have died this month due to hunger-related diseases.

The minister revealed that reported cases of malnutrition affecting children across the country had jumped from 786 in April to an estimated 10,000 this month.

Meanwhile, an official in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi has protested the minister's statements on the tally of infants suffering from severe malnutrition in the province.

"We protest the number revealed by minister A.M. Saefuddin that there are 152 cases here. We only have 19 children with malnutrition," Thamrin Datjing at the province's ministry for health told Antara.

Meanwhile there were "2,951 mild and moderate cases of protein deficiency," Thamrin said.

The office had carried out thorough cross-checks on the minister's data, Thamrin said.

The cases were mostly in Kendari mayoralty and the regencies of Buton, Kendari, Muna and Kolaka, he said.

"The Kolaka Regent has also protested the minister's statement because his regency is a prosperous area with the highest welfare levels in the province," Thamrin added.

Further Thamrin said the rate of marasmus in his province was considered relatively low as it was still under 10 percent of the total number of 300,000 infants under five.

Thamrin said the cause of marasmus in the province was mainly the inability of people to provide nutritious food for their families.

"One case is already extraordinary for us, so we'll keep on tracing if there are possibly other children suffering from malnutrition," he said, adding they would be intensively treated.

Treating the mild and moderate 2,951 cases of protein deficiency only needed the promotion of more variety in people's diet, he said.

Separately in Klaten, Central Java, 8.7 tons of rice aid was handed over to poor families whose children suffered from malnutrition, Antara reported Saturday.

Klaten Regent Kasdi said the aid was given for a three month period, in which each child would receive 30 kilograms per month.

Latest data revealed there were 144,633 families living under the poverty line.

The news agency did not say how many people received Friday's donations. (edt/emf/har)