Malaria outbreak affects Lombok after quakes

mataram - The Indonesian island of Lombok is facing a malaria outbreak after a series of earthquakes in July and August, causing hundreds of thousands of people to leave their homes. The authorities have declared the emergency medical condition.

555 people were killed by the earthquakes and aftershocks. Hospitals, buildings and infrastructure incurred approximately 300 million damage. Lombok is less developed than the nearby Bali, the most important tourist destination in the country.

After the quakes hundreds of thousands of people stayed in the open field because they did not want to hide in buildings as long as the earth kept shaking. Malaria has now been diagnosed with 128 people, including children.

The authorities want to distribute thousands of mosquito nets to prevent further outbreaks. However, it is feared that during the approaching rainy season the number of mosquitoes will increase considerably.