UN fears disease outbreaks amid Mindanao floods 06/27/2011

UN fears disease outbreaks amid Mindanao floods

06/27/2011
Nearly half a million children displaced by heavy flooding in southern Philippines could face an outbreak of diarrhea and pneumonia, the United Nations yesterday said.

Vanessa Tobin, country representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), said about 450,000 children were among the tens of thousands affected when floods swamped over two dozen towns in Mindanao the past two weeks.

The floods were caused by the overflowing of the Rio Grande, the country’s second-longest river, after water hyacinths clogged a huge section of the system and prevented it from emptying into the sea.

Authorities had said some low-lying communities remained flooded, and Tobin said this raised concerns over the possibility of children contracting diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110627hed3.html