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