2023-09-29 04:56:01
The official spokesman for the Emergency and Support Center in the Libyan Ministry of Health monitors the “Sky News Arabia” website, what has been achieved so far in the operations of recovering bodies, as well as sterilization to prevent the spread of epidemics.
According to a statement by the General Department of Environmental Sanitation Affairs of the Ministry of Local Government in the Libyan National Unity Government, “bacterial contamination” was detected in all groundwater sources in Derna as a result of its mixing with sewage and decomposition of corpses.
Local and international action to prevent epidemics
Regarding the latest developments in the efforts of the search teams, recovering bodies, and preventing the spread of epidemics, Malek Marsit, the official spokesman for the Emergency and Support Center in the Ministry of Health of the National Unity Government, says:
The process of dispersing bodies and searching for others is still continuing. In parallel, sterilization operations are being carried out by a specialized team, especially in hospitals, ambulance points and health centers to prevent the spread of diseases and epidemics. Sterilization teams are keen to implement sterilization procedures and provide sterilizers and masks in gathering places, such as mass funerals held for victims, in order to preserve the safety of visitors. A Spanish team specialized in epidemiology arrived following the Emergency and Support Center contacted it. The team visited a number of places and water stations to take samples and analyze them to prevent the spread of diseases, and so far the results of the samples that the Spanish team is working on have not been revealed. The Emergency Center continues to provide all logistical support to the field teams working and overcome the difficulties facing them in helping all those affected by the flood disaster.
What happened in Derna?
On September 10, Hurricane Daniel swept several areas in eastern Libya. The most prominent are the cities of Derna, Benghazi, Al-Bayda, Al-Marj, and Sousse. On September 16, the National Center for Disease Control declared a one-year state of emergency in all areas affected by the floods, following the number of cases of poisoning by unsafe water rose to 150 cases. According to the latest statistics announced by the Supreme Committee for Emergency and Rapid Response of the government appointed by Parliament, the number of bodies of victims documented as a result of the floods in Derna, the largest affected city among the cities, is 3,845 people, while others are being documented.
International warning
As a result of water pollution and lack of sanitation, the United Nations warned in a statement of the danger of the spread of diseases and epidemics, stressing that the organization’s team would continue to work to prevent the spread of diseases, before they lead to a second devastating crisis in the region.
The organization launched an urgent appeal to raise more than $71 million for victims of the hurricane in Libya, while the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, announced the provision of $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to support those affected.
In his speech before the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly this month, the Secretary-General of the international organization, António Guterres, began his speech regarding the stricken Derna, attributing the reason for the tragedies that befell it to the fact that “thousands in Derna lost their lives in the unprecedented massive floods… They were victims many times.” “Victims of conflict, victims of climate chaos, and victims of leaders near and far who failed them in finding a path to peace.”
He added, according to what was published on the United Nations website: “As we speak, bodies are washing up on the shore, from the same Mediterranean Sea under which billionaires bask on their luxury yachts.. Derna sadly depicts the state of our world: a flood of inequality, injustice, and the inability to Facing challenges”.
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