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Muzaffarabad facing epidemic outbreak
 Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned on Tuesday there was a risk of an epidemic of water-borne disease in Muzaffarabad, the quake-devastated capital of Azad Kashmir. The Paris-based aid groupâs chief in Islamabad, Isabelle Simpson, said water supplies could become contaminated because of quake damage, âwhich is why we worry that that could lead then to outbreaks of other water-borne diseasesâ. âEspecially as very few people have shelter up there, theyâre crowding into homes and camp-type situations, so thereâs a lot of potential for health risks,â she said.Aid has begun to trickle into Muzaffarabad after the only roads linking it with the outside world were opened late Monday but the city where at least 11,000 are confirmed dead is still in chaos. MSF workers who reached the city were still assessing the situation but âMuzaffarabad itself they consider to be much more destroyed than anticipated,â Simpson said. âItâs early days yet but we have to be very aware that they need at least clean water for drinking purposes,â she added. Posted by: Fred 2005-10-12 |
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