Aid plane in Burma - UNICEF Ireland

UNICEF Ireland has confirmed that a Thai Airways plane carrying UNICEF emergency supplies has landed in Burma.

UNICEF Ireland has confirmed that a Thai Airways plane carrying UNICEF emergency supplies has landed in Burma.

Three million water purification tablets, which can purify five million litres of contaminated water were on board.This is enough to provide enough clean water for around 200,000 people for a week.

UNICEF Ireland Executive Director Melanie Verwoerd said that with many roads blocked, distributing purification tablets is a quicker and more practical solution than trying to distribute large quantities of portable water containers.

Ms Verwoerd said that the levels of contaminated water in the region following the cyclone will create an even larger humanitarian crisis. "Pools of standing water permeate cramped makeshift shelteres, creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes", she said. Given these conditions, we are going to see a rise in malaria cases, and diarrhoea, which are two of the deadliest threats to children."

According to UNICEF workers on the ground in Burma, 20 per cent of children in the worst affected areas already have diarrhoea and cases of malaria have been reported.

UNICEF has launched a global appeal for €16.5 million over the next six months to ramp up critical services of water, sanitation and hygiene as well as child protection, education and telecommunications services.

Ms Verwoerd said support from the Irish public is critical in helping UNICEF meet the needs of the children who survived the cyclone.