Hunger, disease -- and snakes -- stalk Myanmar survivors

[DesertRat]

BANGKOK (AFP) — Desperate survivors of the Myanmar cyclone are facing serious health worries one week after the disaster, with everything from disease to snake bites putting some 1.5 million people at risk, aid groups say.

Those still alive are battling myriad problems -- dirty water, no food and long exposure to the sun -- and experts warn that without immediate relief, the death toll from Cyclone Nargis will keep rising.

"The three basic needs are still not being met for hundreds of thousands of people: food, clean drinking water and emergency medical goods," said Paul Risley, a spokesman for the UN's World Food Programme in neighbouring Thailand.

"Continued exposure to the sun for people who have lost their homes, for people who have lost the roofs on their houses, is critically dangerous, especially for the children and for the elderly," he said.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jtTXVnHwv-MuenmYH1kPdM8U_b1w