His body temperature rose, he was getting a fever.
His ears were burning hot.
He can't swallow any food, his appetite is gone.
His parents suspect that worms caused it.
This is Jokbijoker village.
The villagers have already left to find medicine in Bikar.
And this place has become deserted.
These are graves,
victims of mass deaths from a suspicious disease in the Jokbijoker village.
According to a report by a local NGO, as many as 95 members of the Karon tribe died due to an unknown disease.
The Karon tribe is located in eight villages in the Kwaroo district, Tambrauw regency, West Papua Province.
TAMBRAUW MOUNTAIN
I have been working,
to serve the House of God in this remote area in Tambrauw,
since 1981.
During my time here, I have built up many villages (permanent settlements)
Bikar, Orvefor, Suau, Sebab, Bakdhe, Krisnos, Suau, Krafotsu. Not seven, but eight villages.
In the case of the disease that occurred in Jokbijoker
the sudden death of so many of the Karon tribe members,
we went to the Health Department so many times.
But they did not respond, or didn't care about us.
All the reports have been presented to them.
If there are health issues,
if some members from here or other villages get sick,
they bring them over to another village.
Usually to Werur.
They don't have a medical centre here, not even the smallest kind.
Every time someone gets sick, they bring that person to Werur
to my house, to be exact.
Where do you come from? You're walking from your village to get here?
Yes, by walking. Four days from Kwor, and three to five days from Mariane.
Yeah, some of them became better and returned to their villages.
But some also died in Werur village.
All this time, I have been buying some medicine for them.
I'm using my church savings.
The government health officials visited only once for a day in 2012.
Up until now, we have been waiting on the Ministry of Health,
and also on the West Papua Province.
They promised us, so we're waiting.
People are still waiting.
They said they want to establish several small medical centres, one in Bakde and one probably here.
They shouldn't just build small medical centers,
but also provide medical teams.