Cholera threatens millions left homeless by typhoon

Four million Filipinos made homeless by Typhoon Haiyan were today facing a growing threat from water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid.

Dr Julie Hall of the World Health Organisation said it was impossible to say how many had no access to clean water supplies 10 days after the typhoon struck leaving 5,000 people dead or missing. Cholera killed 8,000 after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

The Briton, Who's representative in the capital Manila, said the storm had "ripped through the middle of the country, adding: "We know that four million people have been displaced.

"Some of them will have access to clean water supplies, some will have access only intermittently and some will be struggling. Four million people is a huge number of people to reach and help. Diarrhoeal disease is definitely a risk, particularly for children." She spoke out as the Disasters Emergency Committee revealed Britain has donated £39 million to help victims and a Boeing 747 was flying 120 tons of aid from Stansted.

Jamie Oliver, Andrew Marr, Radio 1's Gemma Cairney and Alan Rickman, were set to take calls at a fundraising telethon at London's BT Tower.

Dr Hall said a mass measles vaccination campaign was to be launched with only one fifth of children in the worst-affected areas having protection. She also said aid was now reaching more of the worst-hit areas, adding: "Some military hardware from a number of countries including the UK have been playing a critical role in airlifting supplies."

Philippine energy secretary Jericho Petilla pledged to restore power in all typhoon-battered regions by Christmas Eve. "It's difficult to celebrate Christmas without light," he said.