Bird flu could threaten survivors of Indonesia’s earthquake, an aid agency warned, after finding people whose homes were destroyed sheltering in dung-smeared chicken sheds. A strong aftershock sent panicked survivors running into the streets early on Saturday.
British medical aid agency Merlin warned that some of the 647 000 people left homeless are taking shelter in chicken sheds, risking possible infection from bird flu.
Most survivors are living in makeshift shelters — often just plastic tarps to ward off tropical downpours and the hot sun — with no toilets or running water.
More than 100 people are staying in six large poultry sheds in Pundong in Bantul district, some with chicken droppings remaining on the bamboo slats, Merlin said.
”We are concerned that people using poultry sheds as shelter are at risk from avian flu and possibly salmonella infection,” Dr Bayugo, a doctor from the group, said in a statement. She appealed for more tents for survivors.
Indonesia has had a surge of bird-flu cases in the past month, and some have been reported in districts surrounding the quake zone.
The head of Bantul district, Idham Samawi, said he had instructed the local village chief to order the villagers out of the chicken sheds, but that some had refused to leave.
Saturday’s aftershock was one of more than a thousand that have hit the region since a 6,3-magnitude earthquake struck before dawn exactly one week earlier, killing at least 6 234 people and injuring 30 000 more. Officials estimate that 135 000 homes were destroyed.
Most aftershocks have been weak, but one overnight jolted survivors awake.
”I picked up my nephew and ran out of the house. It was very strong,” said Yudi, who like many Indonesians uses one name. There were no immediate reports of damage from the quake, measured at magnitude 3,4.
Thirty more United States military medical personnel arrived on Saturday on a transport plane, and were to be followed by a 135-member medical team from Cuba with two field hospitals.
Medical teams have already arrived from Singapore, Japan, Iraq, Malaysia and Pakistan.
Aid officials say many of the injured people treated by overwhelmed doctors shortly after the quake may have to be re-examined and their broken bones reset.
Stress from the earthquake apparently caused two men to commit suicide on Friday — one by hanging and the other by jumping down a well.
Their neighbours said they suspected both men — from different villages — were distressed after their homes were flattened.
Government officials said 380 people who complained of dizziness and severe stomach pains after eating donated food on Thursday were apparently suffering from post-trauma stress. The villagers were treated at four hospitals.
Laboratory tests found that the food was safe, the national disaster agency said.
The United Nations issued an urgent appeal on Friday for $103-million it said is needed over the next six months for the recovery effort — with about half of that for the rebuilding of homes.
Budi Atmadji, deputy head of Indonesia’s national disaster coordinating body, said on Saturday that the surge in relief is enough. ”We have enough aid at this stage,” he told reporters.
He said foreign militaries will be in Indonesia for ”not more than one month”.
The massive relief effort comes as Indonesia is still trying to rebuild from the 2004 tsunami, which killed 131 000 people in western Aceh province, and is also fighting bird flu.
Also, activity at Mount Merapi, a volcano near the quake zone that is one of the world’s most active peaks, rose on Saturday, with hot clouds of ash and red-hot lava spewed out at least 50 times in the morning, government scientist Subandrio said.
”Merapi continues to increase its activity since Friday,” Subandrio said.
Local and international aid workers have yet to reach some remote areas, and delivery of food, medicine and tents has been sporadic in others.
Though trucks loaded with humanitarian relief clogged recently repaired roads in some areas, villagers a few kilometres from aid-distribution centres said they had received little or no help. — Sapa-AP