13 Mar 2007

Malaria claims 3 young lives in remote part of PNG

8:02 pm on 13 March 2007

The severe cerebral malaria syndrome has claimed the lives of three school children in the remote Nuku district of Papua New Guinea's Sandaun province.

The National newspaper reports that many others are affected and face death unless medical supplies and urgent services arrive quickly.

A teacher and first-aid medical officer who visited the mosquito-infested area last week, reported the cerebral malaria deaths to the newspaper.

Urban Torowi claims that the students had died of dehydration after continuous vomiting and diarrhea.

Mr Torowi says the students had been left sick for a month without any proper treatment due to lack of medical supplies in the area.

He says medical treatment could only be received at a sub-health centre three hours away by foot with no means of public transport due to deteriorating road conditions.

Mr Torowi says the recent deaths add to a number of unreported cases in the area.

He says in Sabig, there were reports that five people died in November last year from malaria because of lack of treatment.