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Any public health situation
endangering the life or health of a significant number of
people and demanding immediate action.
An emergency situation may result from a natural or man-made
disaster or be a complete (conflict) emergency. |
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Highlights |
The current situation in
Yemen
The ‘sixth war’ between the
Yemeni army and Shia Houthi rebels broke out on 12
August after a year-old truce collapsed.
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Field
visit to a IDP camp at Amran governorate: WR Dr. Ghulam
Popal, H.E. Minister of Health Dr. Abdulkareem Rasa'a and
UN Resident Coordinator Pratibha Mehta. |
Since
the fighting began nearly 120
000 people from various districts in Yemen’s northern
province of Sa’ada have fled their homes to safer areas
on the border with Saudi Arabia, as renewed clashes
between the army and Houthi rebels escalated. The
conflict has rapidly expanded to Daher, Razih, Saqayan,
Shada, Maraan, Ghamar and Haydan districts in Sa’ada and
the Harf Sufian district in the Amran governorate.
According to recent reports, internally displaced
persons (IDPs) are scattered in different locations,
including Al Malahet and Al Hassama, Amran and Al-Jouf
governorates. There are no accurate figures on the
numbers of IDPs in Sa’ada city. There are some reports
suggesting that there are approximately 30 000 IDPs in
Baqim (bordering Saudi Arabia). A camp for IDPs will be
established in Baqim. The
WHO Country Office in
Yemen has been working with the MOH since the beginning
of the situation. The first medical supplies arrived in
the country on 17 August. Mobile medical teams were
dispatched to the field to provide medical assistance to
the IDPs. Regional Office support was also mobilized to
support WHO’s operation.
Situation report
10 (18 October 2009)
Situation report 9 (6 October 2009)
Situation report 8 (29 September 2009)
Situation report 7 (23 September 2009)
Situation report 6 (14 September 2009) (Arabic
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French)
Situation report 5 (7 September 2009) (French)
Situation report
4 (2 September 2009) (Arabic
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French)
Situation report 3 (27 August 2009) (Arabic)
Situation report 2 (20 August 2009)
Donors briefing (19 August 2009)
Situation report 1 (20 August 2009)
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19 August 2009: World
Humanitarian Day
The
General Assembly of the United Nations adopted in its
Plenary Session on 11 December 2008 for the 19 August to be
adopted as World Humanitarian Day to honour all humanitarian
workers and the United Nations staff and associated
personnel who have lost their lives in the cause of duty.
Six years ago, on 19 August 2003, the United Nations Office
in Iraq was bombed and 22 people lost their lives.
Among them were many humanitarian workers.
While there have been many other fatal incidents involving
humanitarian personnel the General Assembly decided to
commemorate the anniversary of this incident as World
Humanitarian Day.
The designation of the Day is a way to increase public
understanding of humanitarian assistance activities
worldwide.
The General Assembly invites all countries, entities of the
UN system and international and nongovernmental
organizations to observe the day annually in an appropriate
manner.
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Pakistan: Displacement in North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan
17 June 2009
More than 4 million internally displaced people (source: Provincial Relief Commissionerate) have been uprooted from their homes in just over 2 months as a consequence of the ongoing military operation. These people are now residing in temporary camps (233 000) and in host communities (approximately 4 100 000) in North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan. Immediate funding is needed for national and international health providers in Pakistan to provide life-saving health care. The World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNFPA and 19 nongovernmental organizations, who together constitute the health cluster in Pakistan, are requesting US$ 37 million in the revised
Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan
(PHRP) to provide medicines, comprehensive primary health care services, monitor outbreaks of communicable diseases, conduct health and hygiene promotion, testing of drinking-water supplies and to strengthen secondary and tertiary level referral and health care services. The health sector, so far has only received 11% of the amount requested
More information
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Training of Trainers (TOT) on
Hospital Vulnerability Assessment
Oman: 12 - 14 April 2009
The
training was jointly organized by the Ministry of Health of
Oman and World Health Organization to pilot the hospital
safety index. Three experts from EMRO and two from PAHO
technically supported the event. The three days were
dedicated to introduce the regional Hospital Safety
Index check list, train a group of experts on hospital
assessment using the index, pilot testing of the checklist
and set the process of developing guidelines for evaluators
at national context and priorities. One of the key
recommendations made during the workshop was to modify the
tool according to the country context and national
standards. The inclusion of organizational structure and
health workforce assessment part was welcomed by all
participants in the workshop. More than 28 people ranging
from structural engineers, architects, electrical/mechanical
engineers, hospital managers, public health experts,
national emergency agency professionals and maintenance
engineers participated in eth workshop. On the last day the
two tertiary care hospitals were assessed using the
checklist modified in the workshop.
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Afghanistan struck by a 5.5 magnitude earthquake
At
around 2.00 AM in the early morning of April 17, 2009 an
earthquake of a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale
followed by 5.1 magnitude aftershocks hit Nangarhar Province
in the Eastern Afghanistan. The epicenter earthquake was in
the Hindu Kush mountainous region near Sherzad and Hesarak
districts with a respective estimated population of 60,000
and 28,000 people. Behzadkhil and Sayedkhil villages are the
most affected areas. Early reports indicated that 21 people
died, 59 were injured and 650 families lost their homes.
Approximately 50 houses were totally destroyed. No
information is yet available regarding damage to roads,
public infrastructures such as health facilities and
schools. The Government Disaster Tasks force is on site. The
Afghan public Health Department dispatched medical kits,
tents and blankets to the affected area. On April 19, WHO as
part of a joint UN mission is under way to assess the
situation and prepare tailored response. Meanwhile, WHO
country office immediately provided an Inter-agency
Emergency Health Kit to the Provincial Health Director
office in Jalalabad.
Read
the WHO full report
OCHA
situation report number 3, 22 April 2009
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Disaster Risk Reduction in Health Sector Workshop
24-26 February, 2009 - Juba, Southern Sudan
The
Ministry of Health of South-Sudan with the technical support
of WHO organized the first workshop on Disaster Risk
Reduction in Health for 30 participants.
Southern Sudan is
highly prone to natural and man-made disasters such as
conflicts, droughts, floods and epidemics.
There are existing preparedness plans for specific diseases
in southern Sudan. The current challenge however, is to
develop a “all hazards approach” as this will be the only
way to enhance capacity of the health sector to face all
types of major risks. The workshop aimed at
building
in-depth understanding of the correlation
between vulnerabilities, risks and hazards and developing a
“all hazard approach” Disaster Management Program.
Programme
Concept note
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Joint
statement on the humanitarian situation in Darfur
6 March 2009
The
Government of Sudan’s order suspending 16 non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) will have devastating implications for
the citizens of Darfur. Aid operations in North Sudan, the
largest humanitarian emergency in the world costing over $2
billion annually, will be irrevocably damaged.
Read the full statement (English
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Arabic)
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UN calls for immediate access to areas in South Darfur
12 February 2009
Khartoum 12 February
2009: UN
Humanitarian
Coordinator, Ameerah
Haq calls for
immediate access to
over 100,000
civilians in
Muhajariya, Sheria
and Labado areas of
South Darfur.
International
humanitarian
agencies have
attempted to reach
the area four times
since 7 February but
are unable to obtain
clearance for
humanitarian
flights.
Read the statement (Arabic
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English)
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