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PHILIPPINES
OCTOBER 22, 2009
TAGS: Asia , Emergency ,
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Her family’s home was destroyed by one of the many typhoons which struck the Philippines. Photo used under Creative Commons from Cray146 / Flickr
Emergency responders in the Philippines are gearing up for the third in a series of fierce typhoons which have battered the country in recent weeks. AmeriCares is preparing more aid for the Philippines as Typhoon Lupit, a category 4 storm with gusts up to 130 miles per hour, is expected to make landfall in the coming days.
The death toll from earlier Typhoons Ketsana and Parma has climbed to over 850 people. More lives are in jeopardy due to a flood-related disease outbreak which has already claimed nearly 100 lives.
The disease, leptospirosis, is caused by exposure to contaminated water and can cause symptoms ranging from fever and chills to liver failure and meningitis. AmeriCares sent several powerful antibiotics and other medicines to help people who have become ill with the dangerous disease.
“Typhoon survivors are already vulnerable to many deadly diseases. Many have little protective clothing, no shoes, limited access to clean water and suffer from exhaustion and dehydration,” said Dr. Frank Bia, M.D. AmeriCares medical director. “With hundreds of thousands homeless and crowded into temporary shelters, the risk of spreading infectious diseases is very high.”
To support typhoon relief efforts, AmeriCares recently delivered an emergency shipment of $200,000 worth of medicines and medical supplies as well as 1,000 hygiene kits to help stem the spread of disease. Relief workers are already distributing water purification treatments donated by AmeriCares – enough to provide survivors with 1.2 million gallons of clean water.
AmeriCares continues to work with our partners in the Philippines on a comprehensive disaster response to Typhoons Lupit, Ketsana and Parma, locally known by Filipinos as Ramil, Ondoy and Pepeng. AmeriCares recently shipped $3.2 million worth of medical aid to the Philippines including antibiotics, pain killers, fever reducers, syringes, medical supplies, hand sanitizers and other lifesaving medications which can be used to help survivors.
Update as of November 3, 2009: AmeriCares continues to help survivors of the recent typhoons, tsunami and floods in Asia and the South Pacific. And we also continue our on-going efforts to provide lifesaving medical and humanitarian aid to people in poor and conflict-ridden countries struggling for daily survival around the world.
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