救援團體呼籲關切洪災中的兒童

Aid groups are urging the international community to take greater effort to protect children affected by flooding in South East Asia.

救援團體敦促國際社會付出更多努力來保護受東南亞洪災影響的兒童。

The United Nations says more than 825 people have died from floods across South East Asia, including Burma, Laos and the Philippines.

聯合國說，肆虐緬甸、老撾、菲律賓等東南亞國家的洪災造成超過825人喪生。

In Vietnam, 38 of the 43 deaths reported so far have been children. Of the 377 deaths report in Thailand, 50 were children, many between the ages of two and eight years old.

在越南，據報到目前爲止43名死者中有38名是兒童。在泰國，據報377名死者中有50人是兒童，其中許多年僅2到8歲。

Jerry Velasquez, a senior regional coordinator with the UN’s International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), says the floods are taking a toll especially on children in Vietnam, and Cambodia and Thailand.

聯合國國際減災策略的高級區域協調員維拉斯奎茲說，洪災對越南、柬埔寨和泰國的兒童造成尤其嚴重的影響。

He says families need to be vigilant during the crisis as people flee from flood bound areas in the hope of seeking food and shelter.

他說，在人們逃離災區四處尋找糧食和庇護之際，所有家庭成員一定要在危機期間提高警覺。

“For large families if you have two or three kids it only takes two or three minutes - you are rushing and one of your kids falls behind and all of a sudden you look back two to thee minutes later and your child is gone, so being aware and making sure parents monitor their children,” said Velasquez.

維拉斯奎茲說：“對有兩三個小孩的大家庭來說，你正在趕路，其中一個孩子落後，兩三分鐘後你突然回頭看，孩子已經不見了。所以要保持警覺，要確定父母看着孩子。”

Aid workers say children are at risk from a variety flood-related health risks.

救援人員說，兒童身處洪災引發的各種健康危機。

“North of Bangkok we see children playing in the water, bathing in it or even just trying to wade through the water to get to higher ground," says Annie Bodmer-Roy, a spokeswoman for the British-based group Save the Children in Thailand. "There is a real risk of disease, things like skin infections and diarrhoea children are exposed to the flood waters but also unclean drinking water.”

博德默羅伊說：“在泰國北部，我們看到兒童在水裏玩耍、在水裏洗澡、或者涉水到高地去。兒童接觸到洪水和喝下不乾淨的飲用水都有生病的危險，像皮膚感染、拉肚子。”

Thailand's Health Ministry says flood victims face the threat of drowning and electrocution from submerged electrical wires. But, it says, they could also be poisoned by toxins from inundated factories, farms and sewage from housing estates. Flood waters also increase the likelihood of mosquito-born diseases, such as malaria, dengue fever, and Japanese encephalitis.

泰國衛生部說，洪災災民面臨了溺水和因電線泡水而觸電的威脅。但衛生部說，災民也可能因爲淹水的工廠、農田和房屋下水道釋放出的毒素而中毒。洪水還會增加瘧疾、登革熱和日本腦炎等疾病經由蚊子傳染的機率。

Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said in her weekly media address Saturday floodwaters have peaked and will begin to recede next week.

泰國總理英拉星期六在對媒體的每週演講中說，洪峯已過，洪水將在下星期開始退去。