Lebak Health Office Combs Bedouin Settlements, Give Vitamins And Campak Prevention Drugs

The Indonesian Volunteers One Medical Team gave Vitamin A to Bedouin toddlers to prevent Campak (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Lebak District Health Office in collaboration with the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) and Friends of Indonesian Volunteers (SRI) conducted a sweep in Bedouin settlements to provide Vitamin A and medicine to prevent Campak from children. In addition, the Lebak Health Service also distributes food and milk for toddlers who are malnutritioned.

Chairman of the Coordinator of Sahabat Relawan Indonesia (SRI) Muhammad Arif Kirdiat when contacted in Lebak, Sunday, appreciated the provision of multi Vitamin A and antibiotic drugs, because they had a positive impact on the health condition of Bedouin toddlers in the interior of Lebak Regency, Banten Province. "Now, the condition of children under five in Bedouin who are infected with Campak, accompanied by fever, cough, and colds, has been reported to be a lot," he said, quoted by Antara, Sunday. Previously, in the area it was found that many Bedouin children were affected by Campak, based on the results of blood sampling by the SRI medical team. Currently, the SRI medical team is still monitoring so that the Badui children are all healthy again. "We are currently still going to the Bedouin farmers' fields to give the Bedouin multi-ethnic and antibiotic drugs to the Bedouin toddlers," said Arif. The SRI medical team together with the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) and the Lebak District Health Office conducted door-to-door sweeps in Bedouin settlements to provide Vitamin A and preventing drugs from Campak, to children. The team conducted a sweep of a number of villages, such as Kampung Batumbang, Pamopua, Cempaka and Cisadane, as well as visited fields with steep hilly hills. "There have been more than 100 toddlers who have been given medicine and Vitamin A, including health checks by Bedouin residents," he said. Currently, the SRI team is also treating as many as 18 Bedouin children who have Tuberculosis (TB) and continues to provide special treatment for their health to improve.

One of the Bedouin boys with TB, who is a resident of Batunak Village, Bohani (7), is being treated at the Banten Hospital, through the coordination of the SRi Team. Bohani's condition has now improved after being taken to the Banten Hospital, and had to take medicine for six months without being cut off. "We will coordinate with the Cirinten Health Center, which is closer to Bedouin settlements for taking TB drugs, as well as monitoring so that the drug is taken regularly," said Arif. Meanwhile, SRI's medical team, Dr Eling, said that his party would continue to monitor Bedouin settlements so that they would truly return to health and not get Campak disease accompanied by fever, colds and coughs. "We are now opening health service posts centered in Cijahe or borders with Bedouin settlements," he said.