Health Action in Crises Highlights – No 61: Monday, 6 June 2005

Each week, the World Health Organization Department for Health Action in Crises in Geneva produces information highlights on the health aspects of selected humanitarian crises. The reports usually cover a selection of the situations for which a combined UN system humanitarian appeal has been launched. The WHO contributions in each situation are provided through a mix of different WHO programmes: the staff involved is drawn from WHO field and country offices, often with support from different departments in WHO regional offices and Headquarters. The remit of the WHO departments specifically concerned with Emergency and Humanitarian Action in Crises is to increase the effectiveness of the WHO contribution to crisis preparedness and response, transition and recovery. This note, which is not exhaustive, is designed for internal use and does not reflect any official position of the WHO Secretariat.

DARFUR Assessments and Events: • Attacks on convoys and villages as well as clashes between various groups were reported in North and South Darfur. In West Darfur, the meningitis vaccination campaign carried out by the State MoH, Medair, the ICRC, UNICEF and WHO in Kulbus locality was interrupted for almost a week for security reasons. The campaign will resume as soon as possible. • Considering the approach of the rainy season, a malaria preparedness and response plan for prevention and control is under preparation. • The Crude mortality Survey in Darfur is ongoing. Ten international supervisors, 20 national supervisors and 48 local interviewers are in the field, questioning IDPs living in camps and settlements as well as affected communities. The target population is divided into 270 clusters throughout the Greater Darfur. • As of 4 June, half the clusters in North Darfur and one-fifth of those in South and West Darfur have been interviewed. Actions: • In North Darfur, the improvement of sanitation facilities and water supplies at El Fasher Hospital is in progress to raise the hospital’s hygiene standards and reduce the risk of diseases transmission from patients to patients and to health workers. • In South Darfur, the Japanese NGO AMDA is providing technical support and equipment to the Nyala Teaching Hospital’s laboratory. WHO is supporting the Hospital’s pharmacist in finalizing the monthly drug inventory and consumption report. • A post-vaccination coverage survey will be carried out in Kalma camp by an independent agency to assess the impact of the mass measles vaccination campaign completed in May. So far, no new cases of measles have been reported in the camp. Enhanced surveillance is ongoing in the whole region as 11 cases were reported during the week in other areas of South Darfur. • In North and South Darfur, two training workshops on the Integrated Management of Childhood illness (IMCI), an approach to child heath care developed by UNICEF and WHO, were organized under the supervision of the Federal MoH. Over a period of five days, close to 60 health workers from the States MoH and partner NGOs working in health facilities and IDP camps in El Fasher, Nyala and Kass were trained in child-specific diagnosis and management skills. • In West Darfur, a team led by the NGO Save the Children-US is assessing the situation in Fur Baranga Hospital. The clean-up campaign in El Geneina town and the surroundings camps, which aims at decreasing the number medical complaints caused by poor environmental conditions, has begun on 5 June.

Health Action in Crises 1 WHO is working with partners to address the health aspects of crises in more than 40 countries. Check the Health Action in Crises Web site for more details: http://www.who.int/disasters/

IRAQ Assessments and events: • The countrywide measles, mumps and rubella immunization campaign implemented by the MoH, in partnership with WHO, UNICEF and USAID, is ongoing. Between 15 and 19 May, 85 percent of children aged 1 to 5 years were vaccinated in the three northern governorates. • Having successfully maintained polio-free status for the last five years, Iraq is very much concerned with the outbreak in , Egypt and . The MoH, in collaboration with WHO, UNICEF and other partners, is preparing to conduct emergency National Immunization Days on 19 June and 24 July. Health Directorates Immunization Focal Points have started implementing micro-planning and micro-mapping activities based on a work plan drafted by the MoH. Actions: • Reference material was delivered to the National Drug Quality Control Laboratory under the UNDG Iraq Trust Fund National Drug Quality Control Laboratory Programme. It includes both the British and US Pharmacopoeias needed to develop protocols for quality control tests. • Nineteen ambulances were delivered to under the UNDG Iraq Trust Fund Primary Health Care Programme. • According to the Communicable Disease Control Centre, five cases of malaria were reported during the first four months of 2005, compared to 15 cases during the same period in 2004. This reduction is attributable to control activities such as spraying and fogging carried out by the MoH with technical and logistical support from WHO. • The MoH has applied to the TB Global Drug Facility. Anti-tuberculosis drugs for 18,000 patients for a one-year period will be provided in the coming months. • WHO has signed an agreement with the Jordanian Environmental Society for the provision of training and capacity building activities in environmental health and chemical safety for about 70 staff members from the Iraqi Ministry of Environment. • WHO briefed the MoH on the procurement of equipment and supplies for the central food quality control laboratory and the related training for technicians. Following up on a proposal developed by the MoH in partnership with WHO, FAO and UNIDO to strengthen food safety in processing industries, the need to accelerate the review and prioritization of required activities in all concerned ministries was repeated. • Under the auspices of the UNDG Iraq Trust Fund Water Quality Control and Surveillance Programme, WHO supported the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works in training 20 laboratory technicians from different governorates on water quality control. It also initiated the procurement of growth media and shipment of chemical reagents – for a value of USD 34,000 – to the Ministry of Environment Water Quality Control Laboratories. • Some 2,000 copies of publications on the subject of water and environmental health were provided to be distributed, through the Ministry of Environment, to Iraqi Universities.

WEST BANK and Assessments and events: GAZA STRIP • On 2 June, Mr De Soto took his position as United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. Actions: • On 31 May, WHO and the Palestinian MoH organized the monthly Health Emergency Coordination meeting in Gaza where preparations for the disengagement period were discussed. ICRC, the Palestine Red Crescent Society and the MoH presented their preparedness and response plans and OCHA introduced the UN inter-agency contingency plan. • Between 1 and 3 June, two WHO staff participated in a Conference on Municipal Alliance for Peace in the Middle East organized in The Hague to promote partnerships in the areas of youth, environment, economic development, culture and municipal management. The conference was attended

Health Action in Crises 2 WHO is working with partners to address the health aspects of crises in more than 40 countries. Check the Health Action in Crises Web site for more details: http://www.who.int/disasters/

by 37 representatives from Palestinian and Israeli municipalities, UNDP, UN- HABITAT, the Italian NGO Glocal Forum as well as European cities and inter- city associations.

DEMOCRATIC Assessments and events: • The security situation in the district of Ituri remains critical and the MONUC REPUBLIC of the has been the target of several attacks. Two MSF workers have been abducted in CONGO the area on 2 June. • A study carried out in ten schools in Bunia by the NGO Medair in April reveals that about 80 percent of all children suffer from war-related psychological trauma. • In South Kivu, clashes between armed groups in Walungu and Ninja have forced over 1,280 families to flee their home for safety. The International Rescue Committee has sent a team to Ninja to provide basic assistance and distribute essential food and health items. Actions: • Intensive efforts are under way to gear up WHO’s activities in the DRC to better respond the acute health needs of the population. • The joint need assessment mission organized by OCHA is ongoing in the provinces of Katanga, South Kivu, Kasaï Oriental and Kasaï Occidental, Equateur and Oriental. The WHO EHA Focal Point from Nairobi is travelling to DRC between 6 and 20 June to assist OCHA in health data analysis. • The measles outbreak in Kinshasa is ongoing, with 154 cases and four deaths reported between 28 May and 3 June.

INTER-AGENCY ISSUES • Mental health and psychosocial support in crises. On 7 June, the Inter-Agency Working Group on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings prepared for the June IASC WG meeting, where the proposal to form an IASC Taskforce on inter-agency guidance on mental health and psychosocial support in emergency settings will be advanced. The meeting also discussed preparations for a two-day workshop in late August or early September to work out a matrix on present response information in a simplified chart, along the lines of the IASC guidelines of the HIV/AIDS in emergency settings. WHO facilitated the Working Group. • . On 8 June, the NGO/IASC monthly meeting in Geneva focused on internal displacement in Rwanda. WHO participated. • Tsunami Recovery. On 8 June, a Working Group level meeting took place to deliberate on the three priority objectives set out by the Global Consortium meeting on Tsunami Recovery held in New York on 3 June: 1) Coordination, 2) Action Plan and 3) Financial Tracking. • Tsunami. o Preparations are under way for the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance in Humanitarian Assistance (ALNAP) meeting on multi-agency tsunami evaluations in The Hague on 9 and 10 June. WHO participates. o The next IASC Tsunami Taskforce will take place on 15 June. WHO is a member and will participate. • UN-CMCoord. The UN-Training course for Civil Military Coordination (CMCoord) will take place from 12 to 17 June in Schwarzenburg, and from 28 August to 2 September in Kuopio, Finland. WHO will participate. • Internal Displacement. On 14 June, the Senior Inter-Agency Network on Internal Displacement will update on the recent missions of the OCHA Inter-Agency Internal Displacement Division. • Consolidated Appeal Process. On 14 June, the CAP Sub Working Group will update on the Mid-Term Review and the CAP workshops and review the draft “Frequently Asked Questions” about the CAP. WHO is a member and will participate. • Disaster Reduction. o Agencies are invited to provide inputs to the Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. o Agencies are also invited to contribute to the Secretary-General's Report on International Cooperation on Humanitarian Assistance in the Field of Natural Disasters, from Relief to Development. • Environmental Emergencies. The sixth meeting of the Advisory Group on Environmental Emergencies will take place in Geneva from 22 to 24 June. WHO plans to participate. • IASC-WG. The next IASC WG will take place in Geneva on 22 and 23 June. WHO will participate. Health Action in Crises 3 WHO is working with partners to address the health aspects of crises in more than 40 countries. Check the Health Action in Crises Web site for more details: http://www.who.int/disasters/

• ECOSOC. Preparations are under way for the ECOSOC Humanitarian Segment that will take place in New York between 13 and 15 July. • Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. On 17 June, a ECPS-ECHA Consultative Meeting will take place in New York to discuss some of the key issues relating to organizational responsibility to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN staff and related personnel, including peacekeeping. WHO plans to participate. • Training. o International Humanitarian Law. The ICRC and the Harvard Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research will offer an advanced training course on “International Humanitarian Law and Current Conflicts: New Challenges and Dilemmas” from 18 to 22 July. The course will be held on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA o EFCT. The next Emergency Field Coordination Training [EFCT XIII] will take place from 20 to 28 July in the Geneva/Vaud region.

TRAINING –MANAGING HEALTH INFORMATION IN CRISIS IN CENTRAL ASIA • Between 1 and 4 June, WHO organized a four-day training on managing health information in crises for ten central Asian countries. National Emergency Coordinators, senior epidemiologists and WHO’s country focal points for Disaster Preparedness and Response (DPR) attended the workshop which was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Conducted in English and Russian, it brought together key decision makers and emergency managers from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Chechnya, Georgia, Kazakhstan, , Macedonia, and Uzbekistan. • The event was organized by WHO’ Regional office for Europe (EURO) and drew in emergency and crises experts from WHO Headquarters in Geneva and WHO/CSR Offices in Lyon. The training is part of a worldwide series of activities under WHO’s Three Year Programme to Improve Health Action in Crises (TYP). This particular training was developed under the TYP and piloted for the Africa region in earlier this year. All course material is available in English, French and Russian at www.who.int/crises.

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MAP DISCLAIMER: The presentation of material on the maps contained herein does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or areas or of its authorities, or concerning the delineation of its frontiers or boundaries. Map source: Perry Castaneda Library Map Collection, University of Texas at Austin.

Health Action in Crises 4 WHO is working with partners to address the health aspects of crises in more than 40 countries. Check the Health Action in Crises Web site for more details: http://www.who.int/disasters/