Killer On the Loose in Papua

In just one month gastroenteritis killed over a hundred people in Wamena, a fatality attributed to the locals roasting food on stone and habit of not drinking boiled water.

May 2, 2006

THE epidemic spread fast. Gastroenteritis prevailed in Papua, to be exact in Wamena and its neighboring areas. However, this has been reported only in a few media publications. The Health Departments small fact-finding team flew to Wamena, Papua, on Wednesday last week.

The findings of the team show that from mid-March up to late last week, as many as 141 locals lost their lives. They came from nine districts in Jayawijaya regency, such as Kurulu,

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