Recent developments in Gaza, the wider Middle East, and Sudan, have highlighted the complexities of emergencies in the World Health Organization\u2019s (WHO) vast Eastern Mediterranean region, officials from the UN agency said during a virtual media briefing on Wednesday.
\nThe past two weeks have seen a variant of poliovirus type 2 detected in sewage samples in Gaza, deadly military strikes in several neighbouring countries, and the confirmation of famine in Sudan\u2019s North Darfur state, among other challenges.
\nWHO Regional Director Dr. Hanan Balkhy voiced grave concern over the ongoing escalation across the region, characterized by deadly strikes against civilians, political entities, and infrastructure which are rapidly raising the risks of a wider war.
\nShe said civilian populations already ravaged by violence, hunger and disease, do not deserve to be further threatened.
\nHealth systems must be rebuilt, not devastated, and further developed so that they can withstand further shocks that could potentially affect us all, like the next pandemic, she said.
\nIn the face of the escalating political tensions, she stressed that all diplomatic efforts must be made to prevent this worrying situation from spiraling further.
\nMeanwhile, polio in Gaza is of great concern. Dr. Balkhy warned that although no cases have been detected, children are at high risk.
\nIn response, WHO is working with the Ministry of Health in Gaza and the UN Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) on a range of measures, including polio vaccination campaigns which will begin very soon.
\nLet me be clear \u2013 we need a ceasefire, even a temporary ceasefire \u2013 to successfully undertake these campaigns. Otherwise, wee risk the virus spreading further, including across borders, she said.
\nDr. Hamid Jamari, Polio Eradication Director at the WHO Regional Office, said some 500,000 children under eight, will be targeted in two rounds of vaccination campaigns.
\nHe said the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has already authorized the release of sufficient doses of the novel oral polio vaccine type two from global stocks, which are held in Indonesia.
\n\u201cOf course, the challenge is when can we get these vaccines through to Gaza\u201d, he said, citing issues such as the current tensions in the region, logistical difficulties and flight cancellations.
\n\u201cAnd once the vaccines get there, then we need a massive change in the current environment which is not only ceasefire and peace so that children can be vaccinated, but we also require freedom of movement\u201d. \u009d
\nDr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory, added that everything has to be aligned, including the cold chain and cold chain equipment, referring to the correct conditions for storing, transporting and distributing vaccines.
\nSpeaking from Jerusalem, he said that WHO and partners have already started \u201cmicroplanning\u201d for the vaccination campaigns, describing them as a \u201cmassive operation\u201d. This will be followed by the training of health workers and volunteers, and the roll-out of risk communications.
\n\u201cTo carry out these kinds of campaigns, you prefer to have a ceasefire,\u201d he said.\u201dIf that\u2019s not possible, then at least there should be what we call \u201cdays of tranquility\u201d.
\nLike his counterpart, Dr. Peeperkorn also underlined the importance of freedom of movement.
\nHe explained that the comprehensive vaccination campaigns would have to be carried out from fixed points, from mobile teams, and, when feasible\u2026as much as possible from door-to-door, Or, in Gaza, it would be from tent-to-tent.\u009d
\nOne of the 85 sick and severely injured patients evacuated from Gaza to United Arab Emirates waves from the bus.
\nRegarding other Gaza developments. Dr. Balkhy reported that WHO supported the largest medical evacuation from the enclave so far in the war, with 85 seriously ill people and their companions taken to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the end July.
\nThis \u201cextremely complex operation\u201d involved transporting the group through the Kerem Shalom crossing, and then onto an Israeli airport, before flying to the UAE.
\nShe explained that the easier route would have been through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which has been closed since 6 May.
\nIn total, nearly over 100 Gazan patients have been evacuated with WHO support, including to Belgium and Spain. However, some 10,000 people there still require medical evacuation.
\nIn the face of regional escalation, WHO is deploying emergency experts and vital supplies to support the Ministry of Health in Lebanon, in addition to providing equipment, technical assistance and staffing for its Emergency Operations Centre.
\nThe agency has also bolstered the capacity of 98 hospitals for mass casualty management and the prepositioning of 20 trauma kits and other lifesaving supplies.
\n\u201cAs we work with health officials in Syria, Iran, Jordan and other countries on emergency contingency plans, we hope and pray that they never need to be activated\u201d, she remarked.
\nDr. Balkhy also addressed the situation in Sudan, where war has pushed parts of North Darfur state into famine, notably the Zamzam displacement camp, home to least 500,000 people. Other areas are potentially at risk.
\n\u201cThese entirely avoidable developments raise the stakes for our humanitarian operations. We urgently need access to those in need by all routes possible, including cross-border\u201d, she said.
\nTurning to other locations in the region, she noted that extreme weather events including floods, deadly heatwaves and storms have disrupted lives and livelihoods.
\nShe said WHO \u201cacted quickly\u201d following recent severe flooding in Afghanistan that killed 58 people and injured 380, which included dispatching 160 metric tonnes of medical supplies, deploying 24 ambulances for referrals, and activating mass casualty management systems.
\nThe floods and heatwaves are occurring in the context of severe climate, and she highlighted the wider impacts on health.
\n\u201cClimate change is a fundamental threat to people\u2019s health and the time for collective, concrete actions is now,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to understand that this threat knows no borders and leaves no one safe\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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