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UNICEF- Disease risk for children in Nepal one week after the earthquake

The health and wellbeing of children affected by the disaster are hanging in the balance one week on from the earthquake in Nepal as many have been left homeless, in deep shock and with no access to basic care.

With the monsoon season only a few weeks away, children will be at heightened risk of diseases like cholera and diarrhoeal infections, as well as being more vulnerable to the threat of landslides and floods.

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“The earthquake has caused unimaginable destruction,” said Rownak Khan, Unicef Deputy Representative in Nepal. “Hospitals are overflowing, water is scarce, bodies are still buried under the rubble and people are still sleeping in the open. This is a perfect breeding ground for diseases.”

The earthquake that struck on 25 April flattened more than 130,000 homes and left 3 million people in need of food assistance. Around 24,000 people are currently staying in 13 informal camps in Kathmandu. In a country where just over 40 per cent of children are already stunted, fears for children’s nutrition are rising. At least 15,000 children with severe acute malnutrition require therapeutic feeding. There is also an urgent need for children in the 12 most affected districts to get back to their normal routine by setting up child-friendly spaces, opening schools and providing access to basic services, such as health and water.

As soon as the earthquake struck one week ago, Unicef used its pre-positioned relief supplies to mount an emergency response and was able to provide aid, including tents to serve as emergency clinics at hospitals, tarpaulin for shelter, water trucking services in informal camps, water purification tablets and hygiene kits. We have also flown in more than 80 tons of humanitarian supplies to Nepal and set up child-friendly spaces in informal camps to offer support to help children to recover from their experiences.

We are broadening our response so that children in the most severely affected communities, including those in hard-to-reach areas beyond Kathmandu, are provided with lifesaving services and supplies.

“We have a small window of time to put in place measures that will keep earthquake-affected children safe from infectious disease outbreaks – a danger that would be exacerbated by the wet and muddy conditions brought on with the rains,” said Khan. “That’s why it’s so crucial to get essential medicine, medical equipment, tents and water supplies out to these areas now.”

Make a donation today to our Nepal Earthquake Appeal to help keep more children safe from disease

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