DUBAI, 14 January 2008 (IRIN) - CONTENTS:

AFGHANISTAN: TB deaths halve but challenges remain – WHO AFGHANISTAN: "State of alert" declared as snow causes deaths, blocks roads AFGHANISTAN: Government asks WFP to help avert food shortages BANGLADESH: New water filter to combat arsenic poisoning BANGLADESH: Heightened concerns over bird flu NEPAL: Hunger in west causes children to drop out of school PAKISTAN: Urban food security deteriorating - WFP study PAKISTAN: Snowstorms leave people stranded with little food PHILIPPINES: IDPs concentrated in Mindanao Island as clashes continue PHILIPPINES: Whatever happened to SARS? SRI LANKA: Poor security restricting aid access in north SRI LANKA: End of ceasefire could further hamper aid delivery

AFGHANISTAN: TB deaths halve but challenges remain – WHO

The number of people dying from tuberculosis (TB) in Afghanistan has been going down by 50 percent over the past few months, thus saving the lives of at least 10,000 people on an annual basis, according to new statistics from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and World Health Organization (WHO).

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76118

AFGHANISTAN: "State of alert" declared as snow causes deaths, blocks roads

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in Afghanistan declared a "state of alert" on 8 January after heavy snowfall killed at least 17 and caused severe road blockages across the country.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76137

AFGHANISTAN: Government asks WFP to help avert food shortages

The Afghan government has asked the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to increase its food aid from the previously planned 180,000 to 215,000 metric tonnes (mt) in 2008, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL).

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76172

BANGLADESH: New water filter to combat arsenic poisoning

An innovative, locally designed arsenic filter, known as the Sono filter, now offers hope for millions who lack access to safe drinking water in Bangladesh.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76176

BANGLADESH: Heightened concerns over bird flu

The recent deaths of a number of exotic birds at Bangladesh's national zoo in Dhaka have heightened concerns over a potential bird flu outbreak.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76179

NEPAL: Hunger in west causes children to drop out of school

Hunger and poor diet among children continue to be a key reason for truancy in many remote villages in west Nepal, according to local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the education sector.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76153

PAKISTAN: Urban food security deteriorating - WFP study

Rising food prices and low purchasing power are leading to increased food insecurity in Pakistan's growing cities and towns, where some 35 percent of the country's over 160 million inhabitants now live.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76138

PAKISTAN: Snowstorms leave people stranded with little food

Speaking over a crackly phone line from the village of Nambli in Pakistan's Himalayan foothills, and an hour's drive from the city of Abbottabad, Muhammad Qayyum describes his plight:

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76187

PHILIPPINES: IDPs concentrated in Mindanao Island as clashes continue

The vast majority of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Philippines are in Mindanao Island in the southernmost part of the country.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76081

PHILIPPINES: Whatever happened to SARS?

Nearly four years ago, the world was facing the first pandemic of the 21st century, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), and everyone was scared. For months after a "fatal flu" emerged in November 2002, news of SARS outbreaks and casualties in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam dominated local and international headlines.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76060

SRI LANKA: Poor security restricting aid access in north

The rapidly deteriorating security situation in Sri Lanka has already affected the ability of aid agencies to work in the conflict-ridden north. In mid-December, all international agencies working in Mullaithivu District and parts of Kilinochchi District (both under the control of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka's north) were asked by the Tigers to cease operations in those areas and move staff out.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76152

SRI LANKA: End of ceasefire could further hamper aid delivery

Humanitarian agencies in Sri Lanka are increasingly concerned that the government's withdrawal from a ceasefire with Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels, which takes effect on 16 January, will unleash fresh violence that could not only impact civilians but also impede aid delivery and jeopardise the safety of humanitarian workers.

http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=76185

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