Officials at the World Health Organization are voicing serious concerns that disease and unsanitary conditions in coming weeks may kill more people in Asia than the recent tsunami that struck as many as 11 nations in the continent. More than 55,000 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the devistating earthquake and resulting tsunamis with the death toll expected to continue rising as more bodies are discovered.
Doctor David Nabarro of the WHO warned that 'The initial terror associated with the tsunamis and the earthquake itself may be dwarfed by the longer term suffering of the affected communities.'
He added that local hospitals are presently overwhelmed as a result of the high number of injuries resulting from the tsunamis and they lack the resources under even the best of circumstances to meet the needs of their communities.
'Our focus, with the governments and with civil society organizations throughout the region, will be on saving lives, preventing disease and promoting recovery of the essential infrastructure for public health and well-being,' he explained. 'The assessments are underway.'
Some of the more remote areas in Indonesia, Thailand and India have proven difficult for aid workers to reach given the poor roads and the damage done by the storm. 'Some areas are still hard to get to, but we're now moving into Aceh and finding early signs of a really terrible humanitarian tragedy in that part of Indonesia, and we're much more aware now of the needs in Sri Lanka, and Maldives and in the other countries,' Nabarro added.
