Article February 7, 2005 Issue

TSUNAMI WATCH

WHEN DISEASE THREATENS, PRAYER PROTECTS

By Rosalie E. Dunbar

Sanitation and related public health conditions continue to be a major concern in Indonesia and the other nations affected by the tsunami that struck in December.

Among the diseases the World Health Organization is tracking are cholera, which is spread by exposure to contaminated water, and dengue fever and malaria, both spread by mosquitoes. These diseases already occur in many of these countries, but some fear that the damage caused by the tsunami could increase their effects. But this does not have to happen.

Many health and recovery workers are making enormous efforts to stop the spread of disease, despite the difficulties they face. And they are having some success. Those of us who live far from the affected countries can contribute to these efforts by thinking deeply about the mental conditions that led to disease—and helping to disarm them through prayer.

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