DEC agencies have been delivering vital health and medical relief to hundreds of thousands of injured and sick cyclone survivors.

In Pyapon, in the Irrawaddy delta, ActionAid’s partner organisation is setting up a semi-permanent medical centre after recently receiving government permission. The coastal district was directly in the path of cyclone Nargis and the centre, will provide much-needed emergency medical treatment.

ActionAid’s Head of Emergencies Roger Yates said: "We have learned from experience that in any emergency it is crucial to mobilise local people and local resources. This approach is working well for us in Myanmar where it is now vital that we work together to tackle the emerging health crisis and save lives."

As aid agencies work around the clock to deliver urgent supplies, such as clean water and water purifiers, Merlin has treated hundreds of children for diarrhoea.

Merlin’s spokesperson Pete Sweetnam said: "The immediate concern is clean water. The floods and cyclone have contaminated nearly all the water sources and washed away toilets and sanitation. Most people are drinking the same water which carries hundreds of bodies, putrefying dead animals, human waste and debris."

With basic health services severely limited, Red Cross first aid volunteers have also helped treat injuries inflicted during the cyclone. Many people are suffering the effects of their skin being 'sandblasted' by dirt blown by strong winds.

Bill Gray, Emergencies Manager at HelpAge International added: "Basic health needs are huge. The impending rains can only worsen an already desperate situation for many thousands of people as the threat of waterborne diseases such as cholera rises. HelpAge International is supporting partners to provide health check-ups and essential medicines to targeted communities. We have so far reached over 3,000 people and need to do much more."


DEC members are doing life saving work on the ground and more aid is getting through each day. Overall DEC agencies have reached at least 350,000 people.

Save the Children has now reached almost 115,000 people, including around 33,000 children. We have reached almost 95,000 people around Yangon and 20,000 in the Irrawaddy delta.

World Vision’s local team has been working to assist more than 100,000 children and adults with clean water, medicine and temporary shelters. Christian Aid’s partner is setting up 58 relief camps across the delta region and helping remote communities. It is distributing rice, oil, salt, clothing, mats, baby blankets, mosquito nets, medicines and rehydration solutions to 68,000 people.


Brendan Gormley, Chief Executive of the DEC emphasised the importance of the appeal at this crucial time: "With an estimated 1.5 million people affected, we want to encourage people to continue donating so our agencies can reach more who are in desperate need."