Twenty one people have died from tetanus in the aftermath of last month’s earthquake in Indonesia’s central Java island, the health ministry said on Friday.
They were among 60 people infected with tetanus after they were injured by rubble when the quake destroyed their homes, the ministry said in a statement.
Thirty seven of those are still in hospital, it said.
Health officials on June 7 launched a vaccination campaign for more than one million people affected by the May 27 quake, which killed nearly 5 800 people.
They have warned that conditions in the affected area could lead to a rapid transmission among adults of tetanus, which affects muscles and nerves, usually from contaminated wounds. It typically appears 10 to 15 days after such a disaster.
The 6,3-magnitude earthquake injured more than 36 000 people and left more than 340 000 homeless. — AFP
