6 million children in Southeast Asia affected by Typhoon Yagi

Typhoon Yagi brought strong winds and heavy rains to Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar when it swept through the region nearly two weeks ago.

Thailand reported three more deaths on September 18, bringing the total number of fatalities in the kingdom to 18, with a total of 537 confirmed deaths across Southeast Asia.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement that 6 million children have been affected by Typhoon Yagi. Access to clean water, education, health care, food and shelter have all been affected.

Flood-affected people line up to receive food in Myanmar. Photo: AFP

“The most vulnerable children and families are facing the most devastating consequences of Typhoon Yagi,” said June Kunugi, UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific.

In Vietnam, about 3 million people are at risk of disease due to a lack of safe drinking water and sanitation, UNICEF said.

Nearly 400,000 people have been forced from their homes by flooding in Myanmar, adding to the suffering of a population already struggling through more than three years of conflict between the military and armed groups.

UNICEF said Cyclone Yagi had exacerbated an "already dire humanitarian situation" in Myanmar and pushed already marginalized communities into deeper crisis.

More than 100 flood victims near the capital Naypyidaw were hospitalized for food poisoning after eating donated meals on September 17, the military government said.

The United Nations World Food Programme said on September 18 that it would launch an emergency response operation in Myanmar this week, distributing a month's worth of emergency food rations to half a million people.

Climate change and ocean warming caused by human activity are making extreme weather events like Typhoon Yagi more frequent and severe.

Overlapping climate and humanitarian hazards disproportionately affect children in East Asia and the Pacific, where they are six times more likely to be affected than older adults, according to UNICEF.

Ngoc Anh (according to AFP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/unicef-6-trieu-tre-em-o-dong-nam-a-bi-anh-huong-boi-bao-yagi-post313039.html