18 Children Die As Severe Cold Weather Strikes Peru, UN Reports
Severe cold weather – including snowstorms and heavy rainfall – has struck southern and central Peru, where nearly 20
children have died from acute respiratory infections, the United Nations humanitarian office said today.
An assessment mission by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said the situation is particularly worrisome in several
southern provinces, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.
According to information from Government offices, there 85,000 people approximately are affected. Some 1.4 million
people with respiratory infections and 400,000 with pneumonia have received medical attention, although 18 children have
died as a consequence of acute respiratory infections.
OCHA reported WFP is ready to mobilize $200,000 in support of the affected population. For its part, the UN Children’s
Fund (UNICEF) has provided 2,000 articles of warm clothing and blankets for children under the age of one, and 500 heavy
garments to one of its offices in central Peru. The agency has also pre-positioned 2,500 medical treatments kits for
pneumonia in Lima.