Malnutrition kills 21 toddlers in eastern Indonesia, thousands more at risk

Malnutrition kills 21 toddlers in eastern Indonesia, thousands more at risk
AP
Posted: 2008-06-12 03:51:43
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - At least 21 toddlers have died of malnutrition in eastern Indonesia in recent months due to a food shortage that threatens the lives of thousands more children, a local health official said Thursday.

Another 116 youngsters have been admitted to clinics and hospitals in critical condition, said Stephanus Bria Seran, who heads the health department in East Nusa Tenggara province.

"We urgently need medicine and nutritional foods to save the children," he said. "We are racing against time because they need nutritious food within 30 days if we want to save their lives."

The food shortages have been caused by flooding and drought. Farmers fear the next harvest may also fail due to excessive rainfall and landslides.

Children's diets began lacking sufficient nutrients, causing diseases, hospitalizations and deaths over the past six months, he said.

In the same period, nearly 85,000 children have been registered as malnourished in the province, one of the country's least developed.

The figures show a sharp jump from the whole of 2007, when 10 toddlers died out of 68,000 registered as malnourished in the province.