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Beirut port blast Emergency strategic response plan, August–December 2020
Beirut port blast Emergency strategic response plan, August–December 2020On 4 August 2020, a major explosion in main port of Beirut reaped devastating consequences on the city and its people, leaving over 170 reported deaths, more than 6500 injured, and displacing approximately 300 000 people. The blast also left approximately 120 patients in...
After Beirut port blast, damage to Qaratina Public Hospital means poor families have less hope for babies requiring medical care
23 August 2020 – Two weeks after the explosion that damaged several areas of Beirut, Qaratina Public Hospital is still reeling from the damage. The hospital is located a few hundred metres from the epicentre of the blast and is one of 3 hospitals in the area that were totally...
Towards recovery after the blast: Rosary Sisters Hospital, Beirut
16 August 2020 – Ten days after the Beirut blast killed hundreds, injured thousands, and devastated homes, businesses, and other infrastructure, Sister Nicolas Akiki, general director, sits in her office on the ground floor of the destroyed Rosary Sisters Hospital. The private, non-profit facility is located Wardiyah, just a few hundred meters...
Plane carrying WHO trauma and surgical supplies arrives in Beirut, Lebanon
5 August 2020, Beirut, Lebanon – A plane carrying 20 tonnes of WHO health supplies has landed in Beirut, Lebanon, to support the treatment of patients injured by the massive blast that occurred in the city on 4 August. The supplies will cover 1000 trauma interventions and 1000 surgical interventions for people suffering from injuries and burns...
WHO requires US$ 15 million to support immediate Beirut blast response and ensure vital health and disease prevention activities are maintained
Cairo/Beirut, August 6, 2020 – As the public health impact of the Beirut blast becomes clearer, WHO is calling for US$ 15 million to cover immediate emergency trauma and humanitarian health needs and ensure the continuity of the response to COVID-19 across the country. “We are particularly concerned about overburdened hospital and health...
Normalizing physical distancing: how COVID-19 is changing cultural norms
27 July 2020 – Changing our behaviour is key to limiting transmission of COVID-19 and saving lives during the pandemic. WHO recommends a range of measures to protect yourself and others, of which one of the most important is maintaining at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and others. COVID-19 is influencing and changing cultural...
Mode of COVID-19 transmission: what we do and do not know
Click to expandUnderstanding the modes of transmission of infective agents, such as viruses and bacteria, is essential in better controlling the outbreaks that these infective agents can cause. Transmission of viruses varies, and could be affected by the quantities of virus the route of transmission allows, the size of the transport media, as well...
How to fight the COVID-19 infodemic
6 July 2020 – Many of us have not heard the word infodemic before. It refers to the avalanche of information that accompanies an epidemic to the extent that it becomes difficult to distinguish fact from fiction or identify information that is misleading. More than 361 million videos related to COVID-19 have been uploaded to YouTube since the...
Primary health care centres engage in the fight against COVID-19
22 June 2020 – Centres in the national primary health care (PHC) network have initiated screening for COVID-19 following training conducted by the Order of Nurses, in collaboration with the PHC department at the Ministry of Public Health. Staff working in PHC centres started screening for COVID-19 using a triage questionnaire prepared by the Order of...
Engaging communities for contact tracing to reduce the spread of COVID-19
22 June 2020 – COVID-19 spreads from person to person through droplets and contact transmission. Contact tracing is a critical component of comprehensive strategies to control the spread of COVID-19 and involves quick identification of people exposed to confirmed cases and following up with them to ensure rapid testing and quarantine with daily...
