Wednesday, May 20, 2009

How bad is the health situation?

Probably the most prominent health issue, tuberculosis is present with a rate of 2%, compared to the .05% rate of Europe. It is easily spread too, due to the poverty of the area.

Some other medical conditions caused by the shrinking of the Aral Sea include:

cancer
dysfunction of the thyroid
various blood and respiratory diseases

The infant and mother mortality rates are some of the highest in the world.
All pregnant women are anemic, and 70% are severely anemic by their third trimester.

Much of these diseases are caused by the polluted salt that is blown from the exposed sea beds. The ASF is implementing a program of planting trees along the shore to decrease soil erosion and prevent the dust from blowing.

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