Acute respiratory infection threatens Mt Merapi refugees
Antara News, Sunday, November 7, 2010 23:52 WIB
Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - Acute rspiratory infection, hypertension, and headache were the ailments that lots of Mount Merapi eruption survivors suffered at the refugee shelters, a health worker said.
"The displaced people are so vulnerable to these diseases," top official of the Health Ministry Supriyantoro told newsmen here Sunday.
The sick refugees got medical treatment at clinics set up inside the refugee shelters but if their health condition got worse, they would have to be sent to a hospital, he said.
During their medical treatment, the Mount Merapi refugees would not have to pay anything, Supriyantoro said.
Some 45 hospitals and more than 100 health centers were ready to serve Mount Merapi eruption victims in the districts of Sleman, Klaten, Magelang and Boyolali, he said.
"But we (health workers) have difficulties in taking care of the refugees` health problems because many moved from one refugee shelter to another," he said.
Asked about the medical supplies for the refugees, especially those with serious burns, he said the supplies were not sufficient, but situation could still be handled and overcome, he said.
For taking care of refugees with burns, the medical equipment of general hospitals as Dr.Sardjito in Yogyakarta are quit sufficient, he said.
Mount Merapi, located on the border between two provinces, lies geographically close to Yogyakarta but is officially part of Central Java. It has continuously erupted since October 26, spewing hot clouds into the air and sending lava down its many slopes.
Due to the intensive large eruptions, the safety zone had been extended to 20 kilometers.
The exact number of victims remains uncertain but the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) noted that at least 135 people had been killed since Mount Merapi first erupted on October 26.
Besides killing at least 135 people, the eruptions had also injured 411 people and forced 278,403 others to take refuge.
The displaced people were sheltered in various refugee centers set up in five districts and towns within the provinces of Yogyakarta and Central Java.
Mount Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia, whose eruptions have regularly been detected since 1548.
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