Surfing Community Aid Organization Raises Alarm for Potential Wide-Spread
              Disease Epidemics; Establishes a Base in West Nias

    PADANG, Indonesia, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- SurfAid International, a non-
profit organization founded in 2000 to improve the health and well-being of
the Indonesian people, has been providing extensive medical relief following
the March 28th earthquake and December 26th tsunami.  Within three weeks of
the 8.7 earthquake which shook the Sumatra region, SurfAid has raised an alarm
for wide-spread disease and has established a new operational hub in the small
town of Sirombu, located in West Nias.
    More than 250 people perished in this area following the tsunami, and an
estimated 3,000 more died in the March 28th earthquake, while thousands of
others were injured.  Additionally, up to 30 percent of all homes have been
flattened with an estimated 400,000 people living outside in cramped
conditions, highly exposed to the outbreak of disease.  Citizens of Sirombu
and the surrounding area are running low on food and water, and SurfAid is
working feverishly to provide rapid and effective support to these vulnerable
communities.
    To date, SurfAid doctors and nurses have treated more than 1,500
earthquake victims and SurfAid search and rescue teams have medivaced more
than 40 people in need of more extensive medical treatment out of the region
by helicopter.  More than 200 tons of aid comprised of emergency supplies,
food and water have been distributed by SurfAid teams by boat.  But there is
still much to be done, as many villages have not yet been visited by relief
agencies.
    Deeply traumatized by the tsunami and subsequent earthquake, natives of
the region have scattered into makeshift jungle camps, and are indeed facing a
grave threat from several potentially deadly illnesses.  Thus far, SurfAid has
documented small outbreaks of rubella (German measles) in the north-west part
of Nias and chicken pox farther to the south.  These clusters of disease
indicate that conditions are ripe for an epidemic to break out at any time,
especially for malaria, which remains a growing concern.
    "As hard as it is to believe," says Dr. Dave Jenkins, founder of SurfAid,
"the situation these people are in today is even worse than the one they were
in immediately after the giant tsunami.  When the tsunami struck, a huge
amount of sea water contaminated the pools of standing water.  Mosquitoes
can't breed in salty water, so that put an end to their breeding cycle.  But
the waters have since cleared and mosquito numbers are on the increase again.
In addition, there is high drug-resistance to malaria in the region, and if
you add to that the high baseline childhood parasite rate of 25-50%, and
weakening immune systems due to lack of food, shelter, and clean water, you
have all the ingredients you need for an epidemic."
    During the three weeks following the earthquake, SurfAid has been able to
offer relief to scores of displaced communities, despite practically non-
existent infrastructure.  SurfAid's new hub in Sirombu is essential to these
efforts, as roads from the regional capital, Gunung Sitoli, have been severed
by the earthquake.  Due to the lack of roads, SurfAid has put its air and
water response capabilities to work.

     * In focusing on emergency medical response and life-saving distributions
       of food and water, SurfAid currently has seven boats and one
       helicopter (plus support craft and a vessel chartered by volunteer
       doctors from the Surfing Medical Association) in service.
     * The first SurfAid vessel, the Saranya, was mobilized out of Sibolga to
       the Nias capital of Gunung Sitoli on March 29th.
     * In Nias, SurfAid now has boats and emergency medical teams covering the
       south coast, the capital Gunung Sitoli and the north-east coast, the
       north-west coast, and the west coast and Hinako Islands.
     * The Nias operation is also supported by an nzaid-funded helicopter and
       an RIB semi-rigid inflatable speed boat provided in partnership by
       British Health NGO Merlin International.  This support enables SurfAid
       teams to access the most isolated regions of the island.

    About SurfAid
    With help and support from the global surfing community, SurfAid is a non-
profit organization founded in January 2000 by Dr. Dave Jenkins to
significantly improve the health and well-being of the Indonesian people.
SurfAid's success in the Mentawai Islands has made it the surfing industry's
humanitarian charity of choice and is providing a foundation for future
expansion to other remote surfing locations throughout the world.
    SurfAid would like to acknowledge Quiksilver, Billabong, nzaid, AusAID,
Burton, and Direct Relief for their contributions in previous months.  Through
the heartfelt generosity of these and other agencies and individuals, SurfAid
is able to continue fulfilling its mission of improving the quality of life
for the Indonesian people.

    Contact:
     Amy Selbach
     SurfAid International
     760-753-1103
     amy@surfaidinternational.org

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