UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The
United Nations Children 's Fund (UNICEF) is distributing more than 300,000
hygiene and sanitation items to flood-affected families in Thailand in an
effort to prevent the spread of communicable diseases in the Asian country, UN
officials said here on Thursday.
"Hygiene and sanitation are always a
major concern in any flooding situation," said Tomoo Hozumi, the UNICEF
representative for Thailand.
"Although no outbreaks have been reported
so far, contaminated flood waters can result in water-borne diseases,"
Hozumi said. " The risk of these diseases can be reduced through safe
sanitation and improved hygiene practices, such as frequent hand washing.
A total of 529 people were confirmed dead and
two others missing in the worst floods in more than five decades, the Thai
Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said on Wednesday.
Damage to property and asset from the foods
that have inundated the upper part of the country for almost three months
ranges between 23 billion and 33 billion U.S. dollars, according to the latest
estimate by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
Up to 300,000 people in Thailand will be
unemployed because of business disruption and as many as 700,000 temporarily
jobless, the reports said.
The items distributed include locally
purchased bars of soap, chlorine drops of water purification, alcohol hand-wash
gel and garbage bags, and are being delivered through the public health
ministry, the officials said.
Almost three million people have been affected
by this year's unusually severe monsoon season. Vast swathes of the country's
29 provinces, including the capital, Bangkok, have been inundated.
Hozumi said that he was concerned with the
number of children casualties, 77 in total, most of them young boys, due to
drowning.
"Children stranded in houses surrounded
by water have no space to play, so they end up playing in the water," he
said. "Since many Thai children do not know how to swim, there is great
risk involved."
According to a news release issued by the UN
agency, to prevent child casualties, UNICEF is supporting the establishment of
"child friendly spaces" at 40 large evacuation centers to provide
safe areas for recreation and support activities for children.
Hozumi said that UNICEF is also concerned with
getting children to resume their education. "Getting children back into
school and back to a normal routine as soon as possible will help speed their
recovery from this disaster," he said. "UNICEF wants to do all it can
to ensure this."
In some areas where floodwaters are receding,
the agency will be distributing "school-in-a-box" kits to some 1,000
schools that have been severely damaged by the floods. Each kit contains
teaching materials for up to 80 students and can be used in temporary locations
while their schools are being repaired.
In addition to these activities, UNICEF is
distributing thousands of pamphlets with practical and simple information for
families to protect the health and well-being of their children as part of its
emergency relief efforts, the officials said.
Earlier this week, UNICEF launched a direct
mail appeal to its donors in Thailand for funding to support flood response and
recovery activities. At the moment, the agency has a budget of 1.2 million U.S.
dollars for post-flood assistance for health, education, child protection and
sanitation relief, the officials added.
Editor: Luo Yuan
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