On July 29, the 2006 Tajikistan earthquake hit the Khatlon region of

Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...

. The

earthquake doublet __NOTOC__ In seismology, doublet earthquakes – and more generally, multiplet earthquakes – were originally identified as multiple earthquakes with nearly identical waveforms originating from the same Epicenter, location. They are now characteri ...

killed three people and injured 19. Poor water and

sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation syste ...

posed an ongoing risk to health, as did

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. ...

, given its prevalence in the region and the fact that some people sleep outdoors without

mosquito net A mosquito net is a type of meshed curtain that is circumferentially draped over a bed or a sleeping area, to offer the sleeper barrier protection against bites and stings from mosquitos, flies, and other pest insects, and thus against the ...

s. Damaged roofs made from

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

posed additional risks to health. Following an initial assessment mission of the earthquake affected areas on 29 July by the Minister for Emergency Situations, a second joint mission followed on 1 August, led by the Deputy Prime Minister and including the UN Country Team, WHO and humanitarian partners. WHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, immediately activated other UN and international agencies and

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s in response to the disaster. To date, more than ten health partners, including NGOs, UN and International agencies have worked together to provide 50,000

water purification Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids, and gases from water. The goal is to produce water that is fit for specific purposes. Most water is purified and disinfected for hu ...

tablets, 86

tent A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using ...

s and essential household items, mosquito nets,

soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are us ...

, buckets and high energy biscuits and to ensure basic

drugs A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalati ...

and WHO has donated 1 NEHKit to support local health authorities in ensuring essential medications are available for affected communities and forwarded drug donation guidelines. Funding has been received from

ECHO In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...

since January 2006, in support of WHO's work to 'strengthen and enhance the coordination of humanitarian health programmes' in Tajikistan.

References

External links

M5.6 - Hindu Kush region, Afghanistan
–

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tajikistan earthquake 2006 earthquakes 2006 in Tajikistan 2006 disasters in Tajikistan 2006 Tajikistan July 2006 events in Asia

See also

References

External links