In early September 2024, Typhoon Yagi impacted several countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region, leaving a trail of destruction with its intense rainfall and powerful winds, subsequent flooding and landslides. In the Philippines, the powerful typhoon was even followed by other typhoons, placing considerable pressure on local communities and the Government’s capacity to respond effectively.
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WHO Viet Nam team assesses damage and needs in affected areas.
In response to the devastation wrought by Typhoon Yagi, WHO leveraged its convening power to coordinate response efforts among ministries of health, government agencies and international partners in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Philippines and Viet Nam. This included assessing health risks and needs in hard-hit areas, developing and implementing joint response plans with other UN agencies, supporting access to safe drinking water to prevent diarrhoeal diseases, facilitating the delivery of public safety messages and working towards minimizing disruptions in health service delivery.
Dr Duong Duc Thien, Deputy Director, Department of Planning and Finance, Ministry of Health of Viet Nam, emphasized the value of these emergency efforts: “Typhoon Yagi has been so destructive that the Ministry of Health issued an official request for international support. We are grateful to have the support of trusted partners like WHO to aid our immediate response and longer-term recovery work.”
Ensuring access to safe water and preventing the outbreak of waterborne diseases
Severe storms and flooding are dangerous not only due to injury and drowning risks, but they also increase the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera, leptospirosis and typhoid.
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WHO response team in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic disseminates health information to affected communities to minimize health risks.
To mitigate these risks, WHO worked with national and local authorities across affected countries to provide safe drinking water in health-care facilities and in communities. In Viet Nam, WHO facilitated the radio broadcasting of community safety messages in multiple languages, ensuring that they reached broad audiences, especially those living in more remote areas. WHO assisted the Lao Ministry of Health and provincial health education teams to rapidly deploy across impacted areas, providing health messages to affected communities on how to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.
Ensuring the continuity of health services
Extreme weather events often damage health-care facilities, interrupting essential health services. Recent tropical storms, typhoons and cyclones damaged health facilities and destroyed medical supplies and vaccines. To address these challenges, WHO partnered with local authorities to activate community health posts in affected areas and provide health information to prevent the spread of diseases.
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Emergency response team members in the Philippines assess medical supplies and vaccines damaged during the typhoons.
An emergency medical team, the Philippines Emergency Medical Assistance Team (PEMAT), deployed in response to the typhoons, providing outpatient and emergency treatment to affected populations. Emergency medical teams (EMTs) form an integral part of the health emergency workforce, comprising a network of trained and equipped emergency responders that can surge when required. EMTs in the Philippines − ready, equipped and trained to deploy in response to any emergency − are an outcome of years of preparedness efforts implemented in collaboration with WHO.
WHO response efforts were made possible by generous support from Luxembourg, the United States Agency for International Development and other development and United Nations partners.