International Medical Corps Deploys Team to Bangkok; Identifies Local Partner in Myanmar

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Photo: REUTERS/Stringer A boy plays in front of his home destroyed by cyclone Nargis at a Myanmar town of Bogalay, southwest of Yangon May 8, 2008.

May 13, 2008, Los Angeles, Calif. – International Medical Corps has deployed an emergency response team in Bangkok, Thailand and has identified a local partner through which to channel its initial efforts in Myanmar. The team is prepared to provide immediate assistance to cyclone victims once it receives visas to enter the country.  After Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar 11 days ago, the government raised its death toll to approximately 32,000, while the United Nations predicts between 62,000 and 100,000 have been killed.  Another 30,000 are reported as missing.  Those figures make this cyclone the worst natural disaster in Asia since the 2004 tsunami.  On Tuesday, heavy rains further complicated the aid effort and added to the suffering of the 1.5 million people in need of assistance.


International Medical Corps has secured emergency supplies, including medicines, hygiene kits, and water purification tablets, and has partnered with a local organization to facilitate the clearance and distribution of relief items awaiting permission to enter.  The local organization is currently administering emergency services in and around Yangon through a network of mobile and stationary medical clinics.  With many of Myanmar’s roads impassable due to flooding and debris, IMC is also developing plans for logistical supply lines to the hardest hit areas. 

“A first responder to the southeast Asian tsunami, the Pakistan earthquake, and many other natural disasters, International Medical Corps’ emergency response to Myanmar builds on over twenty years of emergency relief experience,” says Rabih Torbay, International Medical Corps Vice President of International Operations. “In a catastrophe of this magnitude, every minute without relief means more lives are lost.  By coordinating with local and regional partners and the international relief community, IMC is able to implement an emergency response effort to deliver aid to those populations where it is desperately needed.”

Photo: REUTERS/Stringer People stay under their house after cyclone Nargis hit the town of Phyar Pon near Bogalay, southwest of Yangon May 8, 2008.

Without shelter, food, and clean water, people are more exposed to diarrheal illnesses, malnutrition, parasitic infections, and other potentially life-threatening health issues.  In the case of tropical storms, the risk of dengue fever and malaria also rises, as flooding not only increases the number of mosquito breeding grounds, but also their proximity to people.  After the cyclone devastated its rice-growing region, food insecurity in Myanmar is also likely to increase making food less available to the country’s most vulnerable.  This is likely to be exacerbated by oncoming rains, expected through the week.
International Medical Corps has been building local disaster response capacity in the region, specifically in Indonesia, since the 2004 tsunami, and is planning its response in coordination with longstanding Indonesian emergency response partners. 

The worst natural disaster in Myanmar in decades, the 10-hour storm packed winds up to 130 miles per hour. It pummeled five areas, including its largest city, Rangoon, and its rice-growing region, the Irrawaddy Delta.  With six states declared disaster zones, the government has established an emergency committee headed by the Prime Minister and has asked the international community for help in its relief effort.  After destroying much of its agriculture, the cyclone is also likely to increase Myanmar’s food insecurity in a time of rising food costs.

Since its inception nearly 25 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance. For more information visit our website at www.imcworldwide.org.