The World Health Organization, Doctors Without Borders and other international agencies have begun rushing medical teams, generators and other equipment to provide safe drinking water and sanitation and reduce threats of infectious-disease outbreaks in the Asian countries hit by the earthquake and tsunamis on Sunday. Immediate health threats include wounds from stepping on nails and broken glass; dehydration and heat stroke from exposure in hot muggy weather; the possibility of electrocution from downed wires; and diarrheal and respiratory diseases caused by various bacteria and viruses that can spread rapidly because of poor sanitation and a lack of clean water. As health workers carry out assessments to determine the immediate needs in each affected area, they also want to take steps to avoid outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever that could surge in the next few weeks as the insects breed in pools of stagnant water. Full Story