Today's Edition
MYANMAR (WAM)
United Nations officials have voiced concerns about a potential health crisis in Myanmar after last Friday's powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which resulted in thousands of deaths, injuries, or missing persons.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Myanmar, Dr. Fernando Thushara, reported dwindling medical supplies, power disruptions in hospitals, and shortages of running water.
He also warned that fuel shortages were affecting power generators, further straining health facilities.
“A lack of fresh water and sanitation could lead to outbreaks of infectious diseases unless we act swiftly to contain them,” Dr. Thushara said.
Head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Tom Fletcher, stressed that the response has been severely hindered by a lack of funding, in addition to extensive damage to infrastructure.
Deputy Representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Myanmar, Julia Rees, said the needs on the ground were escalating by the hour.
“Entire communities have been flattened,” she noted, adding that children and families were sleeping in the open with no homes to return to.
“The window for lifesaving response is closing,” she warned, as families across the affected areas face severe shortages of clean water, food, and medical supplies.
Aid efforts remain extremely difficult, with teams operating without electricity or sanitation and sleeping outdoors alongside the communities they serve.
