Afghan health official warns of disease outbreak

26/6/2022 18:33

        Thousands affected by a deadly earthquake in eastern Afghanistan are in need of clean water and food and are at risk of disease, an Afghan health ministry official said on Sunday, days after a U.N. agency warned of a cholera outbreak in the region.
        
        At least 1,000 people were killed, 2,000 injured and 10,000 homes destroyed in Wednesday's earthquake, after which the U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA) warned that cholera outbreaks in the aftermath are of particular and serious concern.
        
        Afghanistan's health ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman said, "The people are extremely needy for food and clean water," adding officials had managed medicines for now but handling those who had lost their homes would be a challenge.
        
        The disaster is a major test for Afghanistan's hardline Taliban rulers, who have been shunned by many foreign governments due to concerns about human rights since they seized control of the country last year.