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Storm-hit Philippines in disease warning
By Justin McCurry (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 10/19/2009 3:42:07 AM
Experts warn of deadlyepidemics in country still in thegrip of devastation caused by twopowerful stormsIn pictures: Storm survivorsface disease threatSurvivors of two powerfulstorms that caused widespreaddestruction in the Philippines inrecent weeks are threatened byoutbreaks of potentially life-threatening diseases, as thecountry braces for another super-typhoon, health experts havewarned.Charity workers say disease andpoor sanitation could afflict largenumbers of people, many of whom are still waiting for medicaland other supplies from thegovernment and international aidorganisations."It's a perfect storm becausethere's standing water, there'scholera, leptospirosis is endemicin the population and there's adisease called dengue which isspread by mosquitoes," said DrSean Keogh, emergency healthassessor for Merlin, a UK-basedmedical relief agency.More than 800 people died aftertropical storm Ketsana andtyphoon Parma swept through thecountry in late September andearly this month.Ketsana caused the worstflooding in the capital, Manila, formore than 40 years, while Parmalingered for a week, triggeringfloods and deadly landslides inmountainous areas of the mainisland of Luzon.A fortnight later, 340,000people are still living in crampedevacuation centres, while morethan 7 million people have beenaffected by the storms, localofficials said. Many areas are stillunderwater.Today, preparations were beingmade to evacuate areas threatenedby typhoon Lupit, which couldbrush the northern tip of Luzon byThursday, according to the USnavy's joint typhoon warningcentre. Lupit's force hasintensified since the weekend,with sustained winds of 108mphand gusts of up to 130mph.Forecasters said they expectedthe typhoon, which would be the18th big storm to hit thePhilippines this year, to spareManila but warned that Lupitcould wreak havoc in northernregions.The reassurances failed to putManila residents at ease, however."We're scared. We haven't evenrecovered from the last floodingand here comes another typhoon,"said Gerardo Martin, who lives inthe city's suburbs.In the mountainous Cordilleraregion of Benguet province,police officers have been orderedto tell people to evacuate beforethe typhoon arrives, althoughsome residents are reportedlyrefusing to leave their homes.About 290 people in the area,located 130 miles north of Manila,died in landslides triggered bytyphoon Parma."Those in critical areas should beevacuated now that there is stilltime," said the head of theweather service, Prisco Nilo. "Itwould be more difficult to rescuepeople in the middle of atyphoon."Health officials say that as manyas 1.7 million people living in andaround Manila risk exposure toleptospirosis, a waterbornedisease that has killed 96 peoplethis month.The disease, which can becontracted by wading throughfloodwater, can lead to kidneyfailure if left untreated. State-runhospitals say they are inundatedwith leptospirosis cases, withmany patients forced to sit onchairs as there are not enoughbeds.The disease has infected morethan 1,300 people, according tothe National Centre for DiseasePrevention and Control. Thehealth department plans to handout antibiotics to 1.3 millionpeople in high-risk areas.The government has packedtonnes of food aid and prepared afleet of helicopters to lift peopleto safety in Benguet and othernorthern regions, the nationaldisaster co-ordination councilsaid. The international communityhas pledged at least $100m(£61m) in food and otherhumanitarian aid."Most people are getting someclean water, but the problem isthat people are using the standingwater as a toilet and children areswimming through it," saidKeogh, who recently visited twoof the most badly hit areas."People are walking in the waterall day."All these things are comingtogether. There's another stormcoming, there's standing water,endemic disease and peoplewalking through the water, whichhas all sorts in – petrol, humanwaste – it's a complete mess. Thisis a communicable diseasedisaster in the making."Keogh said he was concernedthat vital medical and othersupplies were not getting topeople in flooded areas quicklyenough, adding: "The death tollhas been modest for a disaster of this scale. But this is somethingthat can turn around and bitereally quickly. These diseases canspread like wildfire and once theyhave got a grip in the communityit's a real struggle to containthem."• Natural disasters and extremeweather• Philippines• CholeraJustin McCurryguardian.co.uk© GuardianNews & Media Limited 2009 |Use of this content is subject toour Terms & Conditions| MoreFeeds
Iran: IAEAtalks begin inVienna
By Julian Borger (World news and comment from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk)
Submitted at 10/19/2009 7:51:05 AM
Talks under way in Vienna onfuture of uranium enrichmentThe meeting here in Vienna onthe fate of Iran's enriched uraniumhas started, amid lots of negativenoises coming from Tehran.Everything about this meeting,including team lists, has beenunder wraps until the last minute.The only senior-ish figureknown to be here is DanPoneman, the US deputy secretaryof energy, and a non-proliferationveteran from the Clinton era.There are reports that the headof Iran's Atomic EnergyOrganisation, Ali Akbar Salehi, isin town to step in if needed butthat has not been confirmed.No one knows how long it willlast, but it should be clear prettyquickly if there is anything tonegotiate at all.• Iran• International Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA)• Nuclear weaponsJulian Borgerguardian.co.uk© GuardianNews & Media Limited 2009 |Use of this content is subject toour Terms & Conditions| MoreFeeds
Sony to finally create “Help Me Obi Wan Kenobi” interface
By John Biggs (CrunchGear)
Submitted at 10/19/2009 8:30:41 AM
Sony will show off a crazy 360stereoscopic display thatessentially places a 3D figureinside a little tube and allows it tobe viewed from all angles. Thedevice, to be shown in Tokyo onOctober 22 (SER-KAAAAN! Goto this!) has a 96×128 resolutionand 24-bit color palette.It’s just a prototype but this isthe kind of 3D I can stand behind.Or walk around. Or sit next to.
World/ Gadgets/
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