The UN humanitarian arm said that many communities in Syria continued to be affected by the shortages of fuel and water, while the UN health agency reported cases of water-borne and sanitation-related diseases in the Middle East country, a UN spokesman said here Tuesday.

"The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that fuel and water shortages continue to affect many communities in Syria, and contaminated water has become a major public health risk in some areas," deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey said at a daily news briefing here.

"The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported cases of water-borne and sanitation-related diseases, including over 80 suspected cases of Hepatitis A and more than 100 new cases of a skin disease, Leishmaniasis, a skin disease," del Buey said.

Despite the security constraints, aid organizations continue to increase deliveries of much-needed assistance, he said, adding that the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) "began a major increase of mobile health services to support 50 medical teams in 12 governorates."

"The World Food Programme (WFP) aims to reach 2.5 million people in March with food," he said. "In February, it reached about 1.1 million people throughout the country." Enditem

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