7 Baduy People Allegedly Die from Measles in One Month

TEMPO.CO, Lebak - Nine residents of Baduy, Lebak Regency, Banten, reportedly died from measles and tuberculosis (TB) in the past month. “Seven people were suspected of having measles and two others stopped TB medication,” said a non-governmental organization (NGO) Sahabat Indonesia (SRI) coordinator, Muhammad Arif Kirdiat.

Arif made the statement when visiting the residence of the Baduy tribe who lives in the remote areas of Banten on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. The SRI medical team collected the data while tracing people who had close contact with people suffering from measles. 

The tracing was launched after six people were confirmed positive for the disease. The blood sampling was conducted in tandem with the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) in the previous week.

“We target to conduct the tracing in nine villages within the next week,” Arif added.

To prevent the spread of measles, SRI opened a health service post and provided doctors, midwives, and nurses. The post is centered in Cijahe, a border area to Baduy residential areas.

The medical team distributed Vitamin A, milk, and biscuits to children and people with malnutrition. The team also conducted health checks and prevention measures against virus infection that causes rubella in pregnant women and examinations to find out tuberculosis.

“We hope that opening this post and conducting tracing can prevent measles and TB cases from spreading further [among the Baduy tribe],” Arif concluded.

ANTARA

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