 |
WHO Programme on Disease Control in Humanitarian Emergencies (DCE)
Humanitarian emergencies caused by conflict or natural disasters are frequently characterized by the displacement of large numbers of people.
Those affected are often resettled in temporary locations with high population densities, inadequate food and shelter, unsafe water and poor sanitation. These conditions have enabled communicable diseases, either alone or in combination with malnutrition, to emerge as major killers. Various risk factors interact to produce a higher incidence of diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory infections, vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and vector-borne diseases such as malaria. Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS are also major health concerns in these situations.
The WHO Disease Control in Humanitarian Emergencies Programme (DCE) aims to reduce the excess morbidity and mortality caused by communicable diseases in humanitarian emergencies by providing technical and operational support to the WHO Department of Health Action in Crises (HAC), WHO country and regional offices, national authorities, other United Nations agencies, nongovernmental and international organizations and donor agencies.
Programme goals are achieved by implementing a strategy focused on five areas of work:
- developing technical standards, guidelines and tools for communicable disease control in humanitarian emergencies;
- providing operational support for communicable disease control in acute emergencies and for protracted crises, e.g. in conflict-affected countries;
- building capacity on communicable disease control in emergencies;
- strengthening local and international partnerships;
- advocating for the health of emergency-affected populations.
The core function of DCE is the provision of technical and operational support for communicable disease control in humanitarian emergencies. Priority conflict-affected countries currently being supported include Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan and northern Uganda. In the event of a new emergency, DCE will provide the necessary technical and operational support for communicable disease control to ensure an effective humanitarian response and the protection of health of emergency-affected populations.
|
|
