From a warehouse in Tripoli, medical supplies were dispatched to Murzuq in southern Libya.

Tripoli, 20 August—In response to violence and displacement in the south of Libya, WHO has dispatched emergency medical supplies for the wounded and activated its disease surveillance systems to prevent outbreaks.

In recent weeks, tensions between different groups in the southern area of Murzuq have flared up. Clashes and an airstrike have killed and injured dozens of people and nearly 10 000 people have fled their homes.

After immediately assessing the needs of hospitals and clinics in the conflict zone, WHO Libya dispatched trauma kits to treat injuries from its warehouse in the southern city of Sabha. WHO also shipped medical supplies, including insulin and other medicines for chronic diseases, from its warehouse in Tripoli. The supplies replenished depleted stocks at Murzuq General Hospital, Tragen General Hospital and Tasawah Rural Hospital.

WHO is helping coordinate health partners who are providing different services, such as kidney dialysis, to people who may not be able to access their regular health facility because of the violence.

Because many displaced families are sheltering in schools under conditions where disease may spread, WHO Libya has activated its disease surveillance system. Surveillance officers will monitor the shelters for outbreaks and ensure that children are immunized against disease.

“This is an area of Libya where conflict has weakened the health infrastructure,” says Elizabeth Hoff, WHO Representative in Libya. “WHO will continue to support southern Libya's health facilities as they treat the sick and injured.”

Contingency stocks of medical supplies used to respond to emergencies in Libya are funded by multiple donors including European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and the governments of Italy and Germany.