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Agence France-Presse

Indonesia’s quake and tsunami battered city of Palu is facing a public health crisis a month after the disaster, aid agencies have warned.
On September 28, a magnitude 7.5 quake and followed by a tsunami razed parts of Palu on Sulawesi island, killing some 2,200 people and making more than 220,000 homeless.
Thousands more are missing, presumed dead, after entire neighbourhoods were destroyed.

Desperate to stave off disease, authorities last week dropped disinfectant from helicopters on the worst-hit areas.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said the move was crucial to preventing the proliferation of disease-laden flies, cockroaches and rats.

But aid groups say there has been an increase in cases of diarrhoea and respiratory infection, while there are also suspected cases of mosquito-borne illnesses, including malaria and dengue fever.
Heavy monsoon rains predicted for the months ahead threaten to make a bad situation worse.
“It is likely we’re going to see more and more people getting sick … given how hard it is to maintain hygiene standards, with the rains providing the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, and with hundreds, if not thousands of bodies, believed to be decomposing in the ground,” said Selina Sumbung, chairwoman of Save the Children’s partner in Indonesia, Yayasan Sayangi Tunas Cilik.
Children are said to be particularly at risk from any illness outbreak.

The hundreds of thousands left homeless by the disaster are scattered across Palu and beyond.
Many squat outside their ruined homes or are bunkered down in makeshift camps and entirely dependent on handouts to survive.
Safe drinking water has to be trucked into encampments, while tarpaulins, blankets and tools are still in short supply in some areas.
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“We know when people are living in temporary conditions [it] poses a problem for hygiene,” said Andreas Weissenberg, of the Red Cross team in Palu. “People stay closer together. It’s difficult to keep clean. They may not have access to water and latrines.”
Elsewhere, monsoon rains have already turned roads to mud and primed slopes for landslides in some remote areas – hampering access for relief teams.

Indonesia has said that damage to the devastated area has topped US$900 million while the World Bank has offered the country up to US$1 billion in loans to get Palu back on its feet.
Seventy per cent of Palu has been cleaned up and water supply will return to normal by December, Central Sulawesi governor Longki Djanggola said on Thursday.
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More than 1,400 tents have been erected for classes and 1,200 semi-permanent shelters are expected to be finished in two months’ time.
For many, however, life is still far from normal.
“I just hope I can get a decent place, permanent housing and a job,” said 65-year-old Abdurrahim Laadu.


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One month on, Indonesia’s quake and tsunami struck city faces major health crisis

Indonesians working on a damaged bridge in Palu. Photo: AFP

A helicopter operated by Indonesia's Disaster Management Agency sprays disinfectant to sterilise an area, affected by liquefaction due to the September 28 earthquake and where thousands are still feared buried, in Palu on October 18, 2018. - The World Bank on October 14 announced funding of up to $1 billion for Indonesia after it was rocked by a string of recent disasters, including a deadly earthquake-tsunami that killed thousands. (Photo by MUHAMMAD RIFKI / AFP)

This picture taken in Palu on October 26, 2018 shows Indonesian quake-tsunami survivors resting at a shelter in Palu. - Indonesia's deadly quake -tsunami has left scores of children orphaned while others are still separated from surviving parents a month after the disasters, as torrential monsoon rain threaten to spark a public health crisis, aid group warn. (Photo by OLAGONDRONK / AFP)

This picture taken from a helicopter on October 18, 2018 shows disinfectant being released over an area, affected by liquefaction due to the September 28 earthquake and where thousands are still feared buried, in an attempt to sterilise it in Palu. - The World Bank on October 14 announced funding of up to $1 billion for Indonesia after it was rocked by a string of recent disasters, including a deadly earthquake-tsunami that killed thousands. (Photo by MUHAMMAD RIFKI / AFP)

This picture taken in Palu on October 25, 2018 shows Indonesian quake survivor Rulham placing a photo of his missing son (R) and niece (L) in Palu. - Indonesia's deadly quake -tsunami has left scores of children orphaned while others are still separated from surviving parents a month after the disasters, as torrential monsoon rain threaten to spark a public health crisis, aid group warn. (Photo by MUHAMMAD RIFKI / AFP)

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This aerial view taken from an Nepal army military helicopter shows a relief camp for earthquake survivors in Kathmandu on May 28, 2015. More than 8,600 people died in the two earthquakes that hit Nepal on April 25 and May 12, destroying nearly half a million houses and leaving thousands without food or water. AFP PHOTO / ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP PHOTO / Ishara S.KODIKARA [06AUGUST2018 FEATURES] CREDIT: AFP

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Aid groups warn of an increase in diarrhoea and respiratory infections plus suspected cases of mosquito-borne illnesses malaria and dengue fever



Aid groups warn of an increase in diarrhoea and respiratory infections plus suspected cases of mosquito-borne illnesses, including malaria and dengue fever.


Earthquakes

One month on, Indonesia’s quake and tsunami struck city faces major health crisis

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Aid groups warn of an increase in diarrhoea and respiratory infections plus suspected cases of mosquito-borne illnesses malaria and dengue fever

Aid groups warn of an increase in diarrhoea and respiratory infections plus suspected cases of mosquito-borne illnesses malaria and dengue fever