Disaster officials in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu and Tonga have reported this week that the situation is already bad and they are expecting it to get worse.
Disaster officials in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu and Tonga have reported this week that the situation is already bad and they are expecting it to get worse.
Australian agricultural scientist, Mike Bourke says remote areas such as those in Vanuatu's south, worst affected by Cyclone Pam, will need attention, particularly with treatment of disease.
"So these are water-borne diseases because people are drinking water that may be contaminated. They might be washing less than they normally do, so typhoid in particular, but other water-borne diseases. But then what we've seen already in PNG is an increase in diarrhea and in the past an increase in dysentery."
Bourke says malaria risk also increases as rivers dry up leaving small stagnant pools for mosquitoes to breed.