WHO has developed standardized health kits of medicines and medical supplies to meet different health needs in humanitarian emergencies and disasters.
These kits are developed to provide reliable and affordable medicines and supplies quickly to tho
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se in need. The kits are used by United Nations agencies, nongovernmental organizations and national governments.
Based primarily on WHO’s Essential Medicines list and guidelines on treatment of specific medical conditions, the contents of the kits are frequently reviewed and updated to adapt to changing needs based on experience in emergency situations.
A certain number of kits are prepositioned in strategic locations to be mobilized quickly in times of need. Long term agreements with suppliers are also in place to ensure rapid shipment wherever needed.
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Climate information is critical towards strengthening the decision making among different users interested in mitigating impacts of climate related disasters. However, there is need for the climate users to have basic knowledge on weather and climat
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e concepts and to a larger extend, early warning early action (EWEA) system and approach. This manual presents an opportunity for the climate users including communities to acquire basic knowledge on Early Warning Early Action and this entails; understanding risk areas, existing early warning systems, communication of early warning information and enhancing disaster preparedness through translating early warning into early actions. The EWEA manual largely target the users in different sectors and communities. The execution of the EWEA manual is planned for 3 days and this does incorporate different methods such as; PowerPoint presentation, group work discussions as well as practical exercises.
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Humanitarian crises can affect women, men, girls and boys in radically different ways. To address the different impacts of conflict and disasters on each group and promote the potential for positive transformation of gender norms, Oxfam calls for hu
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manitarian agencies to analyse, plan, and respond to crises in ways that address practical gender needs and promote women’s rights. Oxfam is committed to promoting gender equality and preventing gender-based violence, through the implementation of its Minimum Standards for Gender in Emergencies. In addition, the promotion of gender equality must be central to the broader efforts to protect civilians and manage and prevent conflict and armed violence.
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The magnitude of urban disasters, high population densities, and a complex social, political and institutional environment has challenged the manner in which humanitarian agencies are used to working. Humanitarian agencies are now grappling with how
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to change their approaches to this reality. This desk review aims to provide an audit and analysis of existing needs assessments, response analysis frameworks and targeting approaches for use in urban post-conflict emergency response.
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Environmental Health in Emergencies and Disasters
Chapter 10
Proper and dignified management of the dead in disasters is one of the three key pillars of humanitarian response and a fundamental factor in facilitating identification of the deceased and helping families discover the fate of their loved ones. Thi
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s second and updated edition of this hugely successful manual provides practical and easy-to-follow guidelines on the recovery, documentation and storage of the remains of individuals who have died in disasters, helping first responders ensure that the dead are treated with respect and that information crucial for their subsequent identification is recorded. This revised edition incorporates experience gained in recent catastrophes, such as the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the 2014/15 Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.
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Manual Logistical Management of Humanitarian Supply
The flood of relief supplies that arrive in the aftermath of large-scale disasters often poses serious logistic and management problems for national authorities. SUMA is a tool for the management
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of humanitarian relief supplies, from the time pledges are made by donors, to their entry into the disaster area and their storage and distribution.
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This document addresses preparedness as an important investment against natural and man-made disasters. Through good practices, it urges the humanitarian community, governments and regional bodies to use preparedness thinking to be aware of risks, t
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o reduce them and to plan ahead to combat them in order to respond more effectively and reduce the threat of hunger, disease, poverty and conflicts. It uses examples from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Colombia, Cook Islands, Ghana, Haiti, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Panama, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe
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(You need free registration to download the book)
Disasters and public health emergencies can stress health care systems to the breaking point and disrupt delivery of vital medical services. During such crises, hospitals and long-term care faciliti
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es may be without power; trained staff, ambulances, medical supplies and beds could be in short supply; and alternate care facilities may need to be used. Planning for these situations is necessary to provide the best possible health care during a crisis and, if needed, equitably allocate scarce resources
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A community-based approach.
These guidelines focus on manmade rather than natural disasters, but our experiences in India, El Salvador and Pakistan (earthquake interventions), and following the 2004 tsunami, cyclone Nargis in 2008 and the Haiti ear
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thquake in 2010, showed that the principles described also work well in contexts of natural disasters.
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Each year, dozens of communities around the world face natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and other emergencies. Scientists think that a worldwide influenza outbreak will happen sometime in the next decade. The purpose of this guide is to help lo
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cal leaders and community organizers bring together the community to help plan for disease outbreaks and other emergencies. This guide uses the lessons from communities that have already dealt with disease outbreaks and also uses other often-used tools to create discussion among community members and effectively garner their insight
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Download these technical notes directly from the website: These four-page illustrated notes, originally prepared in 2011 and updated in 2013, provide practical, evidence-based recommendations in responding to immediate and medium-term water, sanitation and hygiene needs of populations affected by e
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mergencies.
The notes are relevant to a wide range or emergency situations, including both natural and conflict-induced disasters. They are suitable for field technicians, engineers and hygiene promotors, as well as staff from agency headquarters.
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The cholera outbreak has affected 14 countries in the WHO African Region. The climate-induced natural disasters such as cyclone and flooding in the southern African region and drought in the Horn of Africa led to increase in cases of cholera in many
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of the affected countries. With the rainy season commencement in the west African region there is risk of more cholera outbreaks on the horizon. The trend across the region is being closely monitored and this highlights the need for Member States to enhance readiness, heighten surveillance and institute preventive and control measures in communities and around border crossings to prevent and mitigate cross border infection. Since 1 January 2022, a cumulative number of 213 443 cholera cases has been reported to the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), including 3 951 deaths with a case fatality ratio (CFR) of 1.9% as of 16 July 2023 (Table 1). Malawi accounts for 28% (58 941) of the total cases and 45% (1 766) of all deaths reported, and together with Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, and Nigeria contribute to 85% (181 300) of the overall caseload and 88% (3 464) of cumulative deaths. In Epidemiologic week 28, six countries Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Mozambique reported a total of 667 new cases.
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Guidance book for health workers who working in the handling of health crisis caused by natural disasters in Indonesia.
This manual refers to international standards.
June 2021. Shock-responsive social protection (SRSP) operates in contexts where rapid on-set disasters mean needs for assistance are acute and urgent. Monitoring and identifying problems in programme design and delivery are therefore critical. Howev
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er, there is limited existing guidance on how to monitor shockresponsive social protection in these contexts.
This Brief aims to help fill this gap. It does not provide a blueprint for developing monitoring indicators, but it presents a guiding framework with key questions and key issues to consider when monitoring SRSP to understand how the intervention contributes to broader crisis response.
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Natural disasters and emergencies frequently cause power outages that can compromise the quality and safety of food. These flyers include tips to reduce food safety risks during a power outage for households, food suppliers, vendors, food industry i
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nspectors and workers.
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Armed conflicts and natural disasters cause significant psychological and social suffering to affected populations. The psychological and social impacts of emergencies may be acute in the short term, but they can also undermine the long-term mental
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health and psychosocial well-being of the affected population. These impacts may threaten peace, human rights and development. One of the priorities in emergencies is thus to protect and improve people’s mental health and psychosocial well-being.
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Segunda edição (revisada).
Portuguese Version of Management of dead bodies after disasters: a field manual for first responders
Policy brief about profile of health crisis prevention in 34 districts / cities in Indonesia with high potential of natural disasters in 2016