They said that in recent weeks up to three coffins have been leaving the Hospital’s mortuary every weekend for burial somewhere in Palau. “Not only was it unheard of that the deaths of so many people, of all ages, occurred closely to one another, but that the passing of our citizens in the past rarely occurred in more than two or three different villages in the same period of time as has been happening in recent weeks,” one elderly gentleman said.
The discussion turned to possible causes for the loss of many lives.They mentioned the fact that officials in our public health service have actually identified some major causes of death in Palau (Cancer, cigarette smoking, eating of fatty imported foods, lack of exercises, etc.) but most people have not taken their warnings seriously.In some places around the World, particularly in certain densely populated countries in Asia, South America, and Africa, people actually die of hunger, but in Palau it is a different situation. People die in this island country, not from starvation but from over-eating. “Every day of the week you could see on the streets many people, both men and women, who are grossly overweight and who may have some health problems, including difficulties in breathing. Our health service officials say this condition is called obesity, which could lead to fatal heart attacks,” another gentleman said.A woman who was listening to the conversation said the problem of obesity is not limited to grown-ups only. She said many young people, including some students in high schools and elementary school, are so fat that it is disheartening to look at them as they walk on the streets. “It makes me very sad to look at a young girl whose beauty is hidden by those fatty bulges that seem to tremble when she walks,” the woman said. The lady urged all Palauans to return to the old ways where men and women actually planted and cultivated the food they ate every day. “Go back to the taro patches, the tapioca and sweet potato gardens, which were the main sources of our food. Working on these garden plots regularly would make you trim and strong, which is very good for your health”, she urged.One gentleman in the group said Palau’s young men should return to fishing activities to support their families. “Stop wasting money buying fatty imported foods for your children. Go out and catch fresh fish for your kids. The harvesting of fresh marine products would be very good for your own health and for the health of every one in your family. When you go out there to do some fishing activities, be sure you don’t bring alcohol with you. Drinking alcohol while doing dive-fishing activities is very dangerous, so be sure you don’t drink alcohol (Even small amounts could be lethal) when you go on a fishing trip,” the gentleman said.
