Hygiene Campaign In Quake Zone Camps
Hygiene Campaign In Quake Zone Camps
In a bid to help prevent the spread of disease, the lead United Nations agency managing camps that continue to house thousands of refugees from last October’s deadly earthquake in Pakistan has just completed a campaign to promote better hygiene.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) carried out Operation Heartbeat over the last two weeks in eight camps near Muzaffarabad, the provincial capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and epicentre of the devastating 8 October quake.
As part of the campaign,
UNHCR and its partner, Operation Heartbeat, a United
States-based medical relief organization, distributed UN
Population Fund (UNFPA)
hygiene kits containing towels, soap, bandages and liquid
antiseptic. Representatives from the camp population were
also trained to educate their own communities on hygiene and
sanitation issues. “We need to see camp dwellers not
simply as the beneficiaries of humanitarian aid, but as
potential contributors to sustainable development,” said
Catherine Harding, UNHCR’s community services officer in
Muzaffarabad. Ms. Harding noted that more than half the
curative medical services provided in the quake zone since
last October have been for diseases linked to poor hygiene
and sanitation, making community-based health education
essential. The quake killed more than 73,000 people,
injured nearly 70,000 and left millions homeless. While
more than 147,000 people have returned home since the
refugee camps started closing in March of this year, some
31,000 people continue to live in 56 major camps.
2006-08-11 00:00:00.000
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