Medical staff on the ground in Indonesia are stunned to see an outbreak of tetnus among surivors of the devesation of December 26th.

Dr Johnson’s ward is one of three which reopened on Tuesday in the hospital, which was inundated by mud in the disaster.

One young woman was writhing in pain there yesterday, muttering “Please let me wake up”. Patients on either side of her were also contorted in pain.

Siti Syarifah, 24, will almost certainly die of tetanus, with no relatives at her side. “No one has found any family members,” said Dr Johnson.

Staff know only her name and that she was rescued by a fisherman after being dragged out to sea by the waves. Apart from the medical team, the only person caring for her is the man who found her unconscious in a refugee camp. Chandra Maheskar, 28, who works for Unilever, feels for her because he too lost all his family in Banda Aceh.

There have been 47 confirmed cases and 25 deaths. Most of us are vaccinated in the west and if caught very early it can be treated. It is so rare that Australia had only 15 doses of immunoglobulin to treat patients.