Across northern Viet Nam, communities are recovering from the devastating impact of Typhoon Yagi. As the strongest storm to hit Viet Nam in three decades, the typhoon and ensuing floods and landslides, have killed and injured hundreds of people and destroyed homes, schools, healthcare facilities and critical infrastructure.
Although efforts to rebuild and restore services are underway, communities are currently facing ongoing safety threats. Extensive infrastructure damage and flooding poses health risks to community members from infectious, food-borne, mosquito-borne and in particular water-borne diseases, including diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid. In many of these affected and high-risk areas, live ethnic minority groups, with some community members, especially older people, only able to speak their own local language.
To help protect community health in all impacted areas, and as part of ongoing WHO support for government response efforts, WHO with assistance from USAID, has arranged the development, translation and broadcasting of critical health safety messages in multiple local languages.
With many communities experiencing standing flood water, interruptions to water supplies and contaminated food and water, these messages are highlighting safety information about reducing the risk of food poisoning, safe drinking water, sanitation, disease prevention and flood water dangers.
Currently in partnership with Voice of Viet Nam, the Ministry of Health and local authorities, these community messages are being broadcast in five languages: Vietnamese, Thái, H’Mong, Tày and Nùng, to communities in Lào Cai, Lai Châu, Yên Bái, Sơn La, Điện Biên, Hòa Bình, Quảng Ninh, Cao Bằng, Bắc Cạn, and Lạng Sơn.
Ensuring health communications is informed, targeted and collaborative is a key focus of WHO’s Communication for Health (C4H) approach.
To hear or share these messages:
Ensuring personal safety for you and your family during flooding
Ensuring health safety for you and your family during flooding