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| Friday, 6 June 2003 |
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Sri Lanka is facing a heightened risk of communicable disease outbreaks in the wake of the severe floods and landslides which have affected the country recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned yesterday. The most likely outbreaks include diarrhoeal diseases and vector-borne diseases caused when mosquitoes and other insects breed in dirty and stagnant water. WHO is moving quickly to support the country to prevent large-scale outbreaks, the WHO said. WHO is assisting the Ministry of Health to strengthen disease surveillance. By providing logistics support, WHO is assisting in the timely and comprehensive collection of data and early detection of outbreaks. WHO is also helping to ensure drinking water quality in rural areas by distributing water purification tablets. Standard emergency health kits have been provided to the health authorities in the affected districts along with oral rehydration salts, essential vaccines and insecticide-treated mosquito nets. An emergency health kit contains essential drugs, supplies and instruments, sufficient to support the basic health needs of 10,000 people for three months. A further shipment of water quality testing kits and essential medical supplies to the flood affected population in Sri Lanka is under way. The international community - need to act as quickly as possible. Epidemics can be expected in a matter of days, particularly in the camp settlements and inundated areas near the coast, said Dr Coign Tun, WHOs Representative in Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Health and WHO are coordinating its health sector emergency response with relief work of UNICEF, Red Cross, Oxfam and governmental and other UN agencies. WHO facilitates the emergency health sector coordination meeting and plays an active role in the water and sanitation sector coordination meetings. WHO also presented to donor governments a three month plan, to begin in June, which proposes a strategy to restore essential health services in Sri Lanka. The plan foresees assisting the Ministry of Health in the expansion of its epidemiological surveillance system and early detection of disease outbreaks. The top health priority at the moment is to ensure access to clean drinking water and food, said Dr Coign Tun. The water infrastructure has been seriously damaged and food distribution systems in the affected areas have been disrupted. A large number of wells are inundated. We are helping the Government which is working around the clock to provide the affected population with potable water. The damage to water supply and sewage systems brings with it a high potential for outbreaks of communicable diseases and the breakdown of solid waste management poses severe environmental threats. Hundred of thousands of Sri Lankans were forced to flee their homes when floods destroyed their houses. Although some families are now able to return home, large numbers of displaced people have to remain in camps. |
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