United Nations Radio

The World Health Organization has sent emergency health kits for 30,000 people to China's earthquake-affected Sichuan province.

WHO is also sending an expert team to collaborate with the government on rebuilding hospitals and clinics. It is also supplying water disinfection tablets and mobile toilets to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases like diarrhea. Paul Garwood of WHO's crisis action section says another possible threat to health has been exaggerated by the media - that of decomposing bodies in the water. While collecting the bodies is necessary, he says they do not pose a public health threat.

"One of the main reasons to ensure the quick and appropriate recovery of dead bodies, is to reduce the impact of trauma, mental trauma upon survivors of the earthquake because it's quite disturbing. The situation to have dead bodies remain in the affected areas probably must be stressed that no serious public health is associated with the presence of dead bodies."

According to state media reports, more than 250,000 people have sustained injuries from the earthquake on May 12th, which killed at least 40,000 people and left 5 million people homeless.

Reporting for UN Radio, I'm Bissera Kostova.

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