<span id="midArticle_start"/><span id="midArticle_0"/>LONDON, May 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - There is only"a small window of time" for relief workers in Nepal to put inplace measures to protect people from deadly disease outbreaks,a senior United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) official saidon Saturday.
<span id="midArticle_1"/>The dangers posed would be exacerbated by wet and muddyconditions brought on by the upcoming rainy season, said RownakKhan, UNICEF's deputy representative in the country. Nepal'smonsoon season normally runs from June to September.
<span id="midArticle_2"/>The confirmed death toll from the 7.8 magnitude quake whichdevastated the densely-populated Kathmandu Valley on April 25has risen above 6,200, with more than 14,000 injured, accordingto the Nepali government.
<span id="midArticle_3"/>There was no number for the missing, but bodies were stillbeing pulled from the debris of ruined buildings, and rescueworkers have not been able to reach some remote areas.
<span id="midArticle_4"/>"Hospitals are overflowing, water is scarce, bodies arestill buried under the rubble and people are still sleeping inthe open," UNICEF's Khan said in a statement. "This is a perfectbreeding ground for diseases."
<span id="midArticle_5"/>The earthquake last Saturday has left 3 million peopleneeding food assistance and flattened more than 130,000 homes,meaning 24,000 people are currently staying in 13 camps inKathmandu, UNICEF said.
<span id="midArticle_6"/>Most urgently needed are medical supplies, clean water,sanitation, and shelter for those whose homes have beendestroyed, Chris Tidey, a UNICEF spokesman, told the ThomsonReuters Foundation.
<span id="midArticle_7"/>According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), somehospitals in the worst affected areas have been completelydestroyed. There is no shortage of staff, but an urgent need formedical supplies, the group said in a statement.
<span id="midArticle_8"/>"We must remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent andcontrol communicable disease outbreaks, like diarrhoea," said DrRoderico Ofrin, head of the WHO's emergency response, in astatement on Friday.
<span id="midArticle_9"/>"When the monsoon rains come, it's going to be pretty nastyindeed," Chris Tidey said, warning of a second crisis later inthe year if adequate provisions are not put in place.
<span id="midArticle_10"/>The prevalence of diseases such as diarrhoea, respiratoryillnesses, measles and even cholera, which has been endemic inNepal in recent years, "skyrocket" when people are livingoutdoors in heavy rains, Tidey said.
<span id="midArticle_11"/>After an earthquake devastated Haiti in January 2010,killing more than a quarter of a million people, the Caribbeanisland nation was ravaged by diseases including cholera, whichkilled thousands in the years following the disaster.
<span id="midArticle_12"/>A 2011 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control andPrevention said the Haiti cholera outbreak was likely caused byU.N. peacekeepers from Nepal discharging raw sewage near a majorriver used for drinking water. (Reporting By Joseph D'Urso; Editing by Ros Russell)
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<span id="midArticle_1"/>The dangers posed would be exacerbated by wet and muddyconditions brought on by the upcoming rainy season, said RownakKhan, UNICEF's deputy representative in the country. Nepal'smonsoon season normally runs from June to September.
<span id="midArticle_2"/>The confirmed death toll from the 7.8 magnitude quake whichdevastated the densely-populated Kathmandu Valley on April 25has risen above 6,200, with more than 14,000 injured, accordingto the Nepali government.
<span id="midArticle_3"/>There was no number for the missing, but bodies were stillbeing pulled from the debris of ruined buildings, and rescueworkers have not been able to reach some remote areas.
<span id="midArticle_4"/>"Hospitals are overflowing, water is scarce, bodies arestill buried under the rubble and people are still sleeping inthe open," UNICEF's Khan said in a statement. "This is a perfectbreeding ground for diseases."
<span id="midArticle_5"/>The earthquake last Saturday has left 3 million peopleneeding food assistance and flattened more than 130,000 homes,meaning 24,000 people are currently staying in 13 camps inKathmandu, UNICEF said.
<span id="midArticle_6"/>Most urgently needed are medical supplies, clean water,sanitation, and shelter for those whose homes have beendestroyed, Chris Tidey, a UNICEF spokesman, told the ThomsonReuters Foundation.
<span id="midArticle_7"/>According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), somehospitals in the worst affected areas have been completelydestroyed. There is no shortage of staff, but an urgent need formedical supplies, the group said in a statement.
<span id="midArticle_8"/>"We must remain vigilant in our efforts to prevent andcontrol communicable disease outbreaks, like diarrhoea," said DrRoderico Ofrin, head of the WHO's emergency response, in astatement on Friday.
<span id="midArticle_9"/>"When the monsoon rains come, it's going to be pretty nastyindeed," Chris Tidey said, warning of a second crisis later inthe year if adequate provisions are not put in place.
<span id="midArticle_10"/>The prevalence of diseases such as diarrhoea, respiratoryillnesses, measles and even cholera, which has been endemic inNepal in recent years, "skyrocket" when people are livingoutdoors in heavy rains, Tidey said.
<span id="midArticle_11"/>After an earthquake devastated Haiti in January 2010,killing more than a quarter of a million people, the Caribbeanisland nation was ravaged by diseases including cholera, whichkilled thousands in the years following the disaster.
<span id="midArticle_12"/>A 2011 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control andPrevention said the Haiti cholera outbreak was likely caused byU.N. peacekeepers from Nepal discharging raw sewage near a majorriver used for drinking water. (Reporting By Joseph D'Urso; Editing by Ros Russell)
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