Hanoi: Reports of malaria outbreaks and diarrhea in Myanmar's low-lying areas hardest hit by a disastrous cyclone have health experts scrambling to prevent widespread illness, UN health officials said today.

An early estimate had 20 per cent of children suffering from diarrhea in the worst-affected areas, and there are concerns that the situation could worsen, said Osamu Kunii, UNICEF's chief of health and nutrition in Yangon.

"Most of the area is covered by dirty water," he said. "There's a lot of dead bdies, and (survivors) have very poor access - sometimes no access - to clean drinking water or food."

Water purification tablets often do not help because much of the water supply has been contaminated by saltwater that flooded the area, he said, and that poses yet another problem for relief efforts.

Cyclone Nargis lashed the country s largest city, Yangon, along with its major rice-growing region this past weekend. Myanmar's state-run media has reported nearly 23,000 deaths and more than 42,000 missing. But a top US diplomat has said the death toll could surpass 100,000.

Source : PTI