Mayra stepped from her hiding place in the dense brush. The 17-year-old migrant from Guatemala had her one-year-old son on her back. They had crossed the river hours earlier in the dark on small rafts with 70 other migrants. She was hoping she’d be allowed to stay in the United States.
'''December 28, 2004'''

The toll from the recent earthquake and tsunami disaster that affected coasts of a dozen Asian and African nations has risen to nearly 60,000 people reported dead. The nations struck by the catastrophe are struggling to bury the bodies of the dead before disease adds to the already high casaulty figures.

Health experts, such as Dr. David Nabarro, head of crisis operations at the World Health Organization (WHO), are predicting that as many as an additional 60,000 people could perish if disease spreads due to lack of safe drinking water, overcrowding in camps, and potential leaks of deadly toxins from factories affected by the disaster. The WHO is attempting to focus its relief efforts on saving lives and preventing disease in this ongoing crisis.