UNICEF REPORT: Desperate Conditions for Children in Camps Without Clean Water as Cyclone Afterma...( NEW YORK May 11 -- The situation...),Health

NEW YORK, May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The situation for children continues to worsen in Myanmar as thousands of children have been separated from their families, many more are living in desperate conditions in relief camps, and some are drinking water from ponds covered with dead bodies, a UNICEF report stated today.

The information is contained in a new situation report received from UNICEF's 10 offices in Myanmar. It details the most urgent needs of women and children and clearly shows the magnitude of devastation in the delta region.

In Bogalay Township, ponds are covered with dead bodies of humans and animals. Currently, people are trying to pump water from the pond, which can be bleached, but it can only serve the nearby communities.

Also in this township, hospitals are overcrowded with up to 6,000 patients every day. The very grave threat of water-borne diseases is apparent with more people visiting hospitals suffering from deadly diarrhea and dehydration. About 20,000 people from this township are displaced and living in 50 camps.

In Mawlamyinegyun Township, UNICEF reports that 50 percent of villages were damaged out of 757 villages, and 20,000 people are currently staying in 20 camps. UNICEF is sending additional emergency supplies, expected to reach the area today.

The situation is also desperate in Pyapon Township where 16,000 people have been displaced, now living in 35 camps. Conditions in these camps are appalling: in one camp there are only five latrines for 3,500 people. People in this area are suffering a severe shortage of food, insufficient shelters and they are drinking water from contaminated ponds.

A priority concern for UNICEF is the identification of unaccompanied and separated children, as well as family tracing and unification. In all regions, the number of children who have been orphaned by the disaster or separated from their families is rapidly increasing. So far, UNICEF has identifie
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