Five days since Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, the state media has reported 22,464 confirmed dead and 41,054 missing. The “UN estimates hundreds of thousands have been left homeless and millions are without food and water. Up to 40 per cent of the victims are believed to be children.” (Australian Daily Telegraph.)

From the BBC:

“In a statement, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged authorities in Burma – also known as Myanmar – to allow foreign aid workers and supplies into the country…But Burma has refused to waive visa requirements for many waiting aid workers…

Survivors face poor sanitation and a lack of access to clean water.

Flooding could lead to outbreaks of mosquito-borne malaria and dengue fever, while water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery are also a threat.”

Many of ONEs’s allies are mobilizing for relief for Burma. You can learn more on these sites: Oxfam, CARE, Save the Children, International Medical Corps and International Rescue Committee.

UPDATE: “The information that we’re receiving indicates that there may well be over 100,000 deaths in the delta area,” Shari Villarosa, the charge d’affaires in Burma, tells reporters during a conference call.” (USA Today)

-Virginia Simmons