Battle to Try to Stop Spread of Disease in Bam

30/12/2003| IslamWeb

As rescue workers face up to the grim truth that they are unlikely to find many more people alive following Iran's earthquake disaster, attention has turned to the survivors. Freezing night temperatures mean shelter is urgently needed. But many residents are scared to go back inside the few remaining buildings as aftershocks continue to shake Bam. Food and clean water are top priorities but tens of thousands have been left without basics like cooking equipment and toiletries and people are trying to salvage what they can from the wreckage. One of the biggest fears is the spread of disease, especially cholera with thousands of bodies still lying in the rubble and polluted water. Four mobile hospitals have been brought in and medicines and inoculations are being handed out to prevent dysentery, tetanus, diphtheria and diarrhoea. One worry is the spread of disease from the mass graves, many of which are shallow and poorly prepared. Fully-clothed bodies are being sprayed with disinfectant before burial to minimise the spread of infection. Aid is getting through but there have also been reports of mass looting of humanitarian supplies. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Men sit near cars covered by rubble in the ancient city of Bam, December 28, 2003. (REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay)