Nine people have died and hundreds have fallen ill with diarrhea in areas of the Philippines hit by a typhoon last month, and aid officials warned of a health crisis as millions scramble for clean water and food.
Three weeks after Typhoon Rai struck the central and southern islands, destroying thousands of homes and killing more than 400 people, relief work continues to deliver supplies to stranded residents left homeless by the storm.
Nine people have died of dehydration caused by diarrhea in the impoverished Dinagat Islands and the neighboring resort island of Siargao, known for its surfing spots, the regional office of the Philippine health department said.
There have been a total of 895 cases since the typhoon struck, mostly among those left homeless, as the government and aid agencies rush to build emergency water treatment facilities, the spokesman told AFP. from the department, Ernesto Pareja.
“It is difficult to say that it is under control. The water supply remains erratic. Their food needs have not been met, ”said Pareja.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has warned of a “growing health crisis” in typhoon-hit areas as it expands its response to the disaster.
“It is extremely worrying that people have become seriously ill and have even died in the areas devastated by this typhoon,” the head of the Philippine delegation of the International Federation, Alberto Bocanegra, said in a statement on Thursday.
The typhoon left “millions without access to clean water, hospitals and health facilities,” Bocanegra added.
A total of 402 people were killed by the typhoon, according to the latest tally by the Philippine civil defense bureau, with more than 1,200 injured and 78 missing and at least 370,000 still in evacuation centers.
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) said the government’s preparations for the storm and early response had been “commendable” but warned that more support was needed.
“Unless we act now and provide much-needed food assistance to affected families, we run the risk of seeing a rapid increase in preventable malnutrition,” said WFP Country Director and Representative Brenda Barton.
Pareja urged donors and aid agencies to continue their work.
“To all our partners, we hope they do not stop the flow of aid. The situation continues to be unstable, ”said Pareja.
Survivors have compared the storm to Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,300 dead or missing in the central Philippines in 2013 and remains the deadliest on record in the country.
Local health officials are also monitoring respiratory infections after at least two cases turned out to be Covid-19.