Jakarta (AsiaNews) At least ten children died and another 1,300 were hospitalised after an acute diarrhoea outbreak hit East Java in the last week.
The Health Office in the Central Java province of Khrisnajaya yesterday released a statement saying that more than 600 villages across the province are vulnerable to the disease. "We are easily becoming prone to the disease," health officials said, "but we have prepared things to stop it from spreading".
However, the worst cases were reported in Makassar and Surabaya, respectively the provincial capital of South Sulawesi and East Java. Local heath authorities said that in Makassar more than 2000 diarrhoea patients are suffering from belly aches and vomiting.
Others cases have been reported in Solok, West Sumatra Province: 332 people had to be hospitalised, another ten died.
Siti Fadillah Supeni, Indonesia's Health Minister, expressed her concern about delays in treatment that resulted in many patients dying of dehydration.
Cholera might be the cause of the outbreak after people failed to restrain their eating and drinking during the Idul Fitri celebration that marked the end of Ramadan, Islam's holy month of fasting. (MH)
