Yemris Fointuna and Agus Maryono, Kupang, Purwokerto – Six children in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, have died of acute malnutrition over the past two weeks while Banyumas, Central Java, recorded more than 600 infant deaths over 2007 and 2008.

The two latest victims have been identified as 17-month-old Yayan, and 17-year-old Yustina Ina, from Central Sumba regency, who died in the first week of January.

The four other children died at the end of December while staying at the Oebelo former East Timor refugee camp in Kupang regency.

Dani Ch., director of the Imanuel General Hospital in Waingapu, East Sumba, said Thursday that both victims had initially undergone medical treatment at the nearest community health center before they were referred to the hospital.

"They were referred to the hospital because their conditions had not changed, but they eventually died on Wednesday," Dani said.

Dani added that they were already in critical condition and were suffering from severe dehydration.

"They weighed under 3 kilograms. We tried to save them, but they were already in critical condition," he said, adding that six other severely malnourished children below five years old were currently being treated at the hospital.

The Kupang regency administration has taken immediate action, setting up health posts in areas prone to diarrhea in an effort to prevent further deaths.

"Most of them are children below the age of five," Lalu Budiarja, head of the Information, Prevention and Eradication of Diseases division at the Kupang Health Agency, said.

In 2008, 28 malnourished children reportedly died – most were from poor families living in remote villages.

Malnutrition has again flared up in the province after the central government rejected a request for Rp 50.4 billion (US$4.5 million), which was sent to the Office for Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare.

At least 100,000 children in 20 regencies and mayoralties in East Nusa Tenggara are suffering from malnutrition.

Meanwhile, in Banyumas, as many as 666 infants died from complications during delivery, blamed on anemic and malnourished mothers, during 2007 and 2008.

Head of the Promotion and Services division at the Banyumas Health Agency, Supraptini, said the infant mortality rate in 2008 had dropped slightly compared to 2007, but was still categorized as high.

"Most of the babies were small and weighed less than the normal standard, or below 2 kilograms. This is attributed to their mothers' condition during pregnancy, or due an inadequate nutritional intake, so they suffered complications," Supraptini told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

She said there were 380 infant deaths in 2007 and 286 in 2008, adding that Banyumas recorded an average of 300 infant deaths annually.

"We are quite concerned about the matter, but preventive measures are quite hard to make because most of them live in remote villages and its usually too late when they are detected," Supraptini said.

According to Supraptini, prevention must start begin with pregnant mothers consuming nutritious food and having routine examinations.

"However, that costs money, which is a big problem for them, who are mostly poor. That's why the babies couldn't be saved during delivery," she said. The local administration has initiated the Birth Plan and Complication Prevention Program by working together with community health centers and village polyclinics.

"We hope that with the program, an expecting mother can undergo checkups and detect the condition of her baby in the womb before it's too late," Supraptini said.

She added that another factor for the high infant mortality rate was the limited number of midwives.