Diarrhea was reported to have killed at least 16 residents of Taipaobal and Lombok villages, Parigi Moutong District, Central Sulawesi, in the past three weeks. Difficult roads heading to the villages which are located in a hilly plateau made it difficult for health officers to give medical assistance, a source told Antara on Saturday. The distance between Tinombo village, capital of Tinombo subdistrict, and Taipaobal village, is only 10 km. But it takes one day to reach those villages. Inhabited by only 158 households, Taipaobal is one of 11 remote villages in the mountenous Lombok village, Tinombo subdistrict. The first epidemic attacked local residents on July 17-30 when nine people were killed. But a week later, seven more residents were also reported dead in the diarrhea outbreak, bringing the death toll to 16. Of the 16 dead people, five were children aged between 2 and 10 years. They were identified as John (9), Mona (10), Matili (10), Bio`odah (5) and Ripin (2). In the meantime, the adults killed by the disease were identified as Koalia (62), Raina (33), Namasia (30), Jamasia (38), Cimar (48), Lonsi (48), Suprin (35), Fungaia (58), Taorahma (13), Jasmia (24) and Ruusima (16). Parigi Moutong health office`s head dr Yusri Amran M. Kes said lateness in giving medical assistance was to blame for the high number of people killed in the diarrhea outbreak. In addition, there was also a delay in notifying health officers about the disease outbreak due in part to the isolated terrains of the villages which are located in mountenuous areas.
