13 minutes agoDoctors warn long-term health problems following earthquake in Turkey
Periskopi(3 years ago)
(3 years ago)Half a year from the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey, this country's medical association has warned of long-term health damage. The 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey on February 6th of this year, causing major destruction. The initial shake was conveyed by a series of other vibrations. Tens of thousands of people were killed and millions [...]
The 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit southeastern Turkey on February 6th of this year, causing major destruction. The initial shake was conveyed by a series of other vibrations.
Tens of thousands were killed, and millions more were left homeless. Now, the ruins have almost completely been removed, but long-term health problems are continuing, he has said about DPA Selaattin Mentes, chairman of the Association of Doctors in the southern Turkish town of Adana.
Women and children are particularly at risk, he said. There is a lack of balanced nutrition that can cause developmental disorders in children. Pregnant women are also at risk.
“A large number of premature births and abortions have been observed in this region”, Mentes stressed.
Hard operations must be performed in Adana, and hospitals there are already overloaded. Doctors in this region of Turkey have also noted a depressed increase.
“There have been many deaths, people have lost everything and the lives they have now offer little to them”, he added.
He accused authorities of uncontrolled the ruins of the collapsed buildings.
They didn't know if they contained toxins, like asbestos, and if they were to penetrate into the waterland. He said that lack of such knowledge is serious trouble.
“We don't know what the rate of lung cancer will be in the next five or 10 years, as we don't know how poor nutrition will affect the development of children”, he concluded.
