United Nations Radio

The World Health Organization is helping India and Nepal to control outbreaks of disease following the massive flooding in the two South Asian countries.

More than 3 million people in India have been affected by the floods and 56 have died. And in Nepal 70,000 people have been displaced by the disaster.

WHO Spokesman, Paul Garwood says no outbreaks of communicable diseases have been reported yet in India.

"But in Nepal, there have been cases of diarrhea and acute respiratory infections being reported and this has been increasing in the past few days. And in both countries, there is an increased risk of water- and vector-borne infection and diseases due to the number of people displaced, the hot climate, inadequate levels of hygiene and sanitation, and the pools of stagnant water."

Mr. Garwood says WHO is providing medicine and equipment to treat 40,000 people for diarrhea and malaria in Nepal, and in India it is supplying water-testing equipment and is starting a measles immunization campaign in the affected areas.

Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.

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