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  Storm-hit Philippines in disease warning |
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 | Reported by guardian.co.uk
on Monday, 19 October 2009
(on October 19, 2009) |
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Experts warn of deadly epidemics in country still in the grip of devastation caused by two powerful stormsIn pictures: Storm survivors face disease threatSurvivors of two powerful storms that caused widespread destruction in the Philippines in recent weeks are threatened by outbreaks of potentially life-threatening diseases, as the country braces for another super-typhoon, health experts have warned.Charity workers say disease and poor sanitation could afflict large numbers of people, many of whom are still waiting for medical and other supplies from the government and international aid organisations."It's a perfect storm because there's standing water, there's cholera, leptospirosis is endemic in the population and there's a disease called dengue which is spread by mosquitoes," said Dr Sean Keogh, emergency health assessor for Merlin, a UK-based medical relief agency.More than 800 people died after tropical storm Ketsana and typhoon Parma swept through the country in late September and early this month.Ketsana caused the worst flooding in the capital, Manila, for more than 40 years, while Parma lingered for a week, triggering floods and deadly landslides in mountainous areas of the main island of Luzon.A fortnight later, 340,000 people are still living in cramped evacuation centres, while more than 7 million people have been affected by the storms, local officials said.
Many areas are still underwater.Today, preparations were being made to evacuate areas threatened by typhoon Lupit, which could brush the northern tip of Luzon by Thursday, according to the US navy's joint typhoon warning centre.
Lupit's force has intensified since the weekend, with sustained winds of 108mph and gusts of up to 130mph.Forecasters said they expected the typhoon, which would be the 18th big storm to hit the Philippines this year, to spare Manila but warned that Lupit could wreak havoc in northern regions.The reassurances failed to put Manila residents at ease, however.
"We're scared.
We haven't even recovered from the last flooding and here comes another typhoon," said Gerardo Martin, who lives in the city's suburbs.In the mountainous Cordillera region of Benguet province, police officers have been ordered to tell people to evacuate before the typhoon arrives, although some residents are reportedly refusing to leave their homes.
About 290 people in the area, located 130 miles north of Manila, died in landslides triggered by typhoon Parma."Those in critical areas should be evacuated now that there is still time," said the head of the weather service, Prisco Nilo.
"It would be more difficult to rescue people in the middle of a typhoon."Health officials say that as many as 1.7 million people living in and around Manila risk exposure to leptospirosis, a waterborne disease that has killed 96 people this month.The disease, which can be contracted by wading through floodwater, can lead to kidney failure if left untreated.
State-run hospitals say they are inundated with leptospirosis cases, with many patients forced to sit on chairs as there are not enough beds.The disease has infected more than 1,300 people, according to the National Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
The health department plans to hand out antibiotics to 1.3 million people in high-risk areas.The government has packed tonnes of food aid and prepared a fleet of helicopters to lift people to safety in Benguet and other northern regions, the national disaster co-ordination council said.
The international community has pledged at least $100m (£61m) in food and other humanitarian aid."Most people are getting some clean water, but the problem is that people are using the standing water as a toilet and children are swimming through it," said Keogh, who recently visited two of the most badly hit areas.
"People are walking in the water all day."All these things are coming together.
There's another storm coming, there's standing water, endemic disease and people walking through the water, which has all sorts in - petrol, human waste - it's a complete mess.
This is a communicable disease disaster in the making."Keogh said he was concerned that vital medical and other supplies were not getting to people in flooded areas quickly enough, adding: "The death toll has been modest for a disaster of this scale.
But this is something that can turn around and bite really quickly.
These diseases can spread like wildfire and once they have got a grip in the community it's a real struggle to contain them."
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