August 29, 2007, New Delhi -- Catholic Relief Services (CRS) staff and partners in India are responding to an increase in water-borne illnesses in the state of Bihar on the Nepalese border, an area struggling to recover from the worst monsoon flooding in decades.

Nurses in remote health centers are treating more cases of malaria, diarrhea and respiratory infections. Snake bites are also on the rise, and health workers will need larger supplies of anti-venom to prevent victims from dying.

"Snake bites are not uncommon in the summer months, but the number of cases this year in Bihar is much higher due to the flooding," said Jennifer Poidatz, CRS India country representative. "With more heavy rain in the forecast, we're concerned the health risks here could get much worse."

In early August, flood waters as high as 15 feet trapped tens of thousands of families in their homes and on elevated roads, without access to fuel, cooking facilities or clean water. An estimated 11 million people in Bihar alone have been affected, including 1.6 million children under the age of five.

CRS purchased 170 metric tons of high-energy, fortified milk biscuits - enough to feed an estimated 300,000 women and children in Bihar, a state plagued by malnutrition well before the massive floods. The agency has directly reached more than 4,000 families in Bihar with food, as well as water purification tablets and Oral Rehydration Solution to ensure families have the capacity to purify drinking water and care for family members suffering from diarrhea. "Children have been seen eating the biscuits immediately after they receive them," said Poidatz.

Further south in the eastern coastal state of Orissa, CRS has supported 76 mobile health camps in the district of Balasore, providing essential medical care to 16,595 flood survivors. Receding flood waters have allowed some families to return home, and CRS has distributed plastic sheeting to assist 10,626 families with damaged houses.

Across the country, CRS has been working with local partners and the government to provide flood relief to 50,000 families in five states - from Bihar in the north to Andhra Pradesh in the south. The agency's $5 million commitment is also supporting monsoon relief efforts in Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

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Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in 98 countries and territories based on need, regardless of race, nationality or creed.