A total of 21 million people in Indonesia's West Java province, or about 50 percent of its population, were infected with diarrhea in 2008, coordinator of the local civil servants' wives organization said.

"The number of diarrhea patients in West Java in 2008 accounted for half of the province's population of 42 million," Antara news agency quoted Netty Heryawan, team coordinator of West Java's Civil Servants' Organization (PKK), as saying on Monday.

She said that the number of infected people was high due the people's low awareness of clean and healthy life-styles. They had low knowledge about household waste management.

Diarrhea had spread because domestic wastes were not managed well or disposed properly, Netty said in Bandung, capital of West Java province.

She said that clean lifestyles were contributing 30 percent to the people's health, clean environment 45 percent and health services 20 percent.

Meanwhile, local reports said last month that three people died of diarrhea in East Nusa Tanggara province (NTT). At least 200 were suffering from the disease in the province.

Source:Xinhua