The UN support coordination workplace, OCHA, has launched $10 million in response to the pressing want for meals, water, shelter and different lifesaving provisions following this week’s devastating earthquakes and aftershocks in Afghanistan.
“That is the newest disaster to show the price of shrinking sources on very important humanitarian work,” mentioned the UN aid chief, Tom Fletcher, in an announcement on Friday.
He confused that extra funding is required to help the 1000’s of Afghans who’ve misplaced their livelihoods within the disaster. The UN’s Emergency Fund is now accepting donations to help Afghanistan.
In the meantime, the UN refugee company, UNHCR, has despatched emergency aid objects value $4.5 million to help over 5,000 households in Kunar and Jalalabad, mentioned UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.
Pregnancies in danger
The UN company for sexual and reproductive well being, UNFPA, estimates that greater than 11,600 pregnant ladies have been impacted by the earthquake. In response to UNFPA, Afghanistan already has one of many highest maternal mortality charges within the Asia Pacific space.
“For pregnant ladies, a pure catastrophe can flip an already difficult time right into a life-threatening disaster,” mentioned Kwabena Asante-Ntiamoah, the UNFPA’s consultant in Afghanistan.
“We’re on the bottom, delivering important care to make sure secure deliveries and forestall additional lack of life,” she added.
Along with deploying an emergency response, UNFPA continues to function some twenty well being clinics within the area.
Particulars on the UN enchantment for survivors of the earthquake will be discovered right here.
Sexual Violence disaster deepens in Haiti
Gender-based violence (GBV) has reached alarming ranges in Haiti as legal gangs tighten their grip on the Caribbean nation, with greater than 6,200 incidents reported between January and July by service suppliers there.
Rapes accounted for practically half the instances, with armed teams finishing up 62 per cent of them, in response to the info gathered by UN support coordination workplace, OCHA.
Whereas largely affecting grownup ladies, “one in seven survivors is a baby, a lady beneath 18,” mentioned UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, briefing reporters in New York on Friday.
Greater than half of the incidents concerned internally displaced individuals, but just one in 4 rape survivors accessed care inside the essential 72-hour window, he added.
Deep-seated stigma
The dearth of entry displays long-standing stigma related to GBV in Haiti, the nation’s insecurity, the weak referral programs, and mainly, the dearth of well being services within the nation.
To handle this, UN companies and their humanitarian companions have assisted practically 20,000 individuals, OCHA reported in an replace on Friday. This contains medical care, psychological help, authorized support, dignity kits, emergency shelter, and case administration.
Points persist as providers are predominantly concentrated within the nation’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and within the Artibonite Division, whereas different areas, together with Centre and the Grand Sud, systematically obtain much less help.
“Out of the $19 million required for prevention and response to gender-based violence in Haiti, we’ve solely obtained 18 per cent,” mentioned Mr. Dujarric.
WHO provides breakthrough most cancers and diabetes medicines to important listing
Marking an vital step in enhancing equitable entry to life-saving well being merchandise worldwide, the World Well being Group (WHO) has up to date its mannequin lists of important medicines to incorporate new therapies for most cancers, diabetes and weight problems.
The revised lists, launched Friday, information procurement and protection choices in additional than 150 nations.
They now embody 523 medicines for adults and 374 for kids, following the addition of 20 new grownup therapies – 15 for children. Different additions cowl cystic fibrosis, psoriasis, haemophilia and blood issues.
“The brand new editions of important medicines lists mark a big step towards increasing entry to new medicines with confirmed scientific advantages and with excessive potential for international public well being affect,” mentioned Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-Common for Well being Programs, Entry and Information.
Most cancers, a worldwide precedence
Most cancers stays a worldwide precedence and continues to be accountable for practically 10 million deaths a yr. WHO has added immune checkpoint inhibitors – highly effective therapies that assist the immune system goal most cancers cells, together with pembrolizumab, atezolizumab and cemiplimab, for sure metastatic cancers, citing proof they will lengthen survival.
Diabetes and weight problems, affecting greater than 800 million and 1 billion individuals worldwide, respectively, at the moment are acknowledged as pressing international threats.
To handle them, WHO added a bunch of medicines to assist not solely decrease blood sugar but additionally help sufferers with kind 2 diabetes.
The UN well being company confused that top costs stay a barrier and urged nations to prioritize sufferers most in want, promote generic competitors and combine entry into main care.
Pakistan’s monsoon flood-hit communities face extra distress: WMO
Monsoon flooding in northern Pakistan has impacted 1.5 million individuals and killed practically 900 individuals. Tons of of 1000’s want help after torrential rains triggered flashfloods, landslides and destruction.
The UN Secretary-Common has expressed his disappointment on the scale of the emergency, whereas UN companies and companions are working intently with Pakistan to determine wants and deal with gaps within the catastrophe response.
In response to the World Meteorological Group (WMO), there is no such thing as a speedy respite in sight.
Related to this, heavy rains might generate flash floods in streams in Kashmir, Islamabad, Rabindi, north-east Punjab and Swat, and trigger slow-moving however devastating city flooding in low-lying areas, WMO mentioned.
Glacier impact
The UN company famous that top temperatures inflicting glacial soften had made the state of affairs worse.
Earlier this summer time, Pakistan local weather consultants issued repeated warnings about glacial lake outbursts.
The newest alert on 30 August warned that temperatures have been a lot increased than regular, probably accelerating the quantity of glacier water operating downstream.
