The devastating earthquake has turned Nepal upside down leaving behind a miserable story, but the country has to be ready for another crisis. If the crisis is not taken seriously it could leave thousands more dead.
The 2010 Haiti earthquake should serve as an eye opener for Nepal government and other concerned agencies working in the country as nobody wants Nepal to become another Haiti. The outbreak of deadly diseases is the next tough challenge in Nepal. Monsoon season in Nepal runs from June to September.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has already sounded an alert to remain vigilant and prevent an outbreak of communicable diseases. Reports said that diseases like diarrhoea, respiratory illnesses, measles even cholera have been endemic in Nepal in recent years.
“The dangers posed would be exacerbated by wet and muddy conditions brought on by the upcoming rainy season,” Rownak Khan, UNICEF’s deputy representative in Nepal said.
Khan has added that Nepal is becoming a perfect breeding ground for diseases as the hospitals are overflowing, water is scarce, bodies are still buried under the rubble and people are still sleeping in the open.
The recent earthquake that struck Nepal has killed over 6,000 and left some 14,000 people injured. There is no word from the government about the missing people as the debris clearance operations continue in the region. UNICEF says there is an urgent need of medical supplies, clean water, sanitation, and shelter for those whose homes have been destroyed.
It serves as a reminder that the earthquake in Haiti in January 2010 left nearly half a million dead, the Caribbean island was later ravaged by various diseases which killed another thousands more in the later years.