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Emergency alert (869k) |
On 2 May 2008, Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar (Burma) causing death, devastation, damage and loss on an unprecedented scale. UNICEF was among the first to reach the affected areas and today we continue to provide assistance to children following the disaster.
Soon after the cyclone hit, UNICEF quickly mobilised emergency supplies including medicines, oral re-hydration sachets, antibiotics, vaccines and vitamin A to prevent possible outbreaks of diarrhoea, malaria and dengue haemorrhagic fever.
Hundreds of thousands of families lost all their personal possessions and livelihoods to the cyclone, putting children at risk of malnutrition. There are reports that up to 60,000 children may be at risk. UNICEF continues to provide supplements as well as therapeutic food and milk to severely malnourished children.
The destruction of health centres and the low numbers of health workers serving the affected areas at a time of increasing demands has had an impact on the population. We are working with the Ministry of Health and professional associations such as the Myanmar Medical Association, to ease the situation. To date, over 100 health workers, nurses and midwives have been deployed in Laputta, Bogalay and Pyapon to address enormous health care needs after the disaster.
To restore education, UNICEF is providing roofing sheets to repair schools and working to build new and safer schools to replace those that were destroyed. We are also supporting ‘child friendly spaces’ where children are cared for and receive education and recreation activities. So far, 254 child friendly spaces have been set up.
The supplies we have delivered so far in Myanmar include: 200,000 insecticide-treated bed nets to protect 300,000 people at risk of malaria; 25,000 safe delivery kits for babies and mothers; 100,000 jerry cans and plastic buckets; 5,500 cartons of therapeutic food; 657 drums of bleaching powder; 4.6 million water purification tablets; 36,000 sets of latrine pans and pipes; 54,000 family kits; 74,000 tarpaulins; 721,000 bars of soap; and 2,000 essential drug kits.
