2008/09/07
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-7J92J6?OpenDocument&RSS20=18-P
By Stephanie Nebehay
GENEVA, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Cholera has broken out among some of up to 300,000 people in northwestern Pakistan who have fled fighting between government forces and militants, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Friday. The situation in the Bajaur region, a haven for al Qaeda and Taliban fighters along the Afghan border, remains "very volatile" despite a government-declared ceasefire for Ramadan, a senior ICRC official said.
The neutral humanitarian agency's top priority is providing clean water and sanitation to tens of thousands who fled Bajaur for nearby Lower Dir district since the conflict intensified four weeks ago.
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The World Health Organisation said there were cases of acute watery diarrhoea among the displaced, including two children who died, but it had no confirmed reports of cholera.
"We understand these cases of acute watery diarrhoea are being contained. A lot of treatment and sanitation efforts have been undertaken," WHO spokesman Paul Garwood said in Geneva.
Women and children account for about 80 percent of an estimated 50,000 displaced people in hot and overcrowded makeshift camps or schools in Lower Dir, Cuttat said. Most men stayed in their villages to guard property and harvest crops.
Another 20,000 people have fled more recent fighting which erupted in Swat Valley in North West Frontier Province, he said.
The ICRC deploys 400 local aid workers and 50 expatriates throughout Pakistan, a major U.S. ally in Washington's fight against Islamist militancy since the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.
Washington says al Qaeda and Taliban militants hide out in sanctuaries in northwest Pakistan's ethnic Pashtun tribal areas on the Afghan border, where they orchestrate attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan and plot violence in the West.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/RMOI-7J8LY8?OpenDocument&RSS20=18-P
New Delhi 6, September 2008: The World Health Organization is working closely with the governments of India and Nepal to minimize the risk of disease outbreaks and provide basic healthcare for the millions affected by the Kosi river floods. "WHO's assistance includes supplying emergency medicines and equipment for 180 000 people, supporting disease surveillance and child immunization campaigns, and ensuring safe drinking water," said Dr Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia.
Heavy monsoon rains caused the Kosi river to breach an embankment on 18 August 2008, resulting in large-scale floods in Nepal's Sunsari district and 16 districts in Bihar state, India. The situation has worsened as the river changed course, moving 120 km eastwards.
India
In India, the floods have affected 3.4 million people in over 1900 villages. Some 285 relief camps and 249 health centres have been opened for the displaced. WHO is working with the UN Disaster Management Team, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Bihar State Department of Health to respond to the humanitarian crisis.