Waterborne diseases grip Somali refugee camps

2012-06-06 39

Hundreds of thousands of drought-affected Somalis are facing yet another crisis, as the threat of waterborne diseases such as cholera takes hold in refugee camps.

Most affected are children under the age of five, and doctors say there is a desperate need for fresh drinking water in the camps.

The World Health Organisation says malnourished children are especially vulnerable to waterborne diseases.

This comes amid a United Nations warning that famine is spreading into two more regions of Somalia.

Al Jazeera's Sarah Barden reports.