Epidemic warnings for quake survivorsAid agencies in India's quake-hit northwest say there is a serious risk of epidemics from water contaminated by the thousands of dead bodies still lying under the rubble of collapsed buildings.Eight days after the devastating earthquake struck, hundreds of thousands of survivors are facing years of living in tent cities, relief workers say. No major outbreaks of disease have been reported yet, but aid agencies say malaria, cholera and severe diarrhea could rapidly spread through the crowded survivor's camps which have little or no running water or toilets. There are also increasing reports of respiratory problems in the young and old, the result of survivors being forced to sleep out overnight when temperatures drop dramatically. Officials in Gujarat state, which bore the brunt of the quake's devastation, say the region was already suffering from the effects of a severe drought adding to the health risks posed bycontaminated water. |
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