Some aid delivered in cyclone-ravaged Myanmar

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The United Nations and the Red Cross began distributing relief supplies Tuesday to people affected by the devastating cyclone that killed at least 22,000 people in Myanmar on Friday.

The first relief delivered — water, plastic sheeting, clothing and insecticide-treated bed nets — came from stocks that were already in the country. Aid agencies abroad are struggling to transport supplies into Myanmar and to the neediest areas.

The head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations called on members states to send aid to Myanmar — traditionally known as Burma — saying, “Given the frequency of such major natural disasters, ASEAN must … intensify efforts in disaster management and emergency response.”

UNICEF deployed 130 workers to distribute medicine for 155,000 people, water purifying solution, oral rehydration salts, tarps, bleach and family kits that include cooking and cleaning tools and jerry cans.

Lack of clean water and poor sanitation in the wake of the disaster increases the risk of diarrhea, especially for children. Floods can drive mosquito breeding, leading to outbreaks of malaria and dengue fever, according to UNICEF.

Source: cnn.com