Fighting Poverty, Y'al

World Health Organization humanitarian experts from throughout Africa have met here to decide on how best to respond to ongoing and future health emergencies, such as disease outbreaks, flooding and malnutrition.

About 50 participants from all WHO African region countries facing health crises have participated in the annual review of WHO's Emergency and Humanitarian Action (EHA) programme, which is the most important meeting for the organization's health crisis team on the continent.

Most of the world's humanitarian crises are occurring on the African continent, affecting the health of millions of people, including children, and requiring intensive efforts not just to respond to emergencies but to either prevent them from happening or be properly prepared for when they do. In 2008 alone, more than 95% of African countries have experienced a humanitarian crisis.

"WHO has proven that it is a crucial player in terms of humanitarian health response during crises and emergencies on the African continent," said Dr Omar Khatib, African regional adviser for EHA. "But by working with other WHO units, we must continue to strengthen our capacities and hone our skills to be able to meet persistent and future emergencies, such as annual flooding and drought, communicable disease control and malnutrition related to the global food security crisis."

Improving how countries prepare for recurrent disasters, such as flooding that impacts on hundreds of thousands every year in many countries, was a key focus of the Zanzibar meeting.

"If we can continue to improve how countries in Africa prepare for and respond to disasters, the health of millions of people will be improved and secured," Dr Khatib said. "We see many examples of this throughout Africa, where WHO and our UN and NGO partners are working closely with governments to improve how they immunize children against polio, measles and meningitis, and strengthen health systems through acquiring equipment and medicines and training national health staff."

Attending the meeting were WHO humanitarian experts from Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Central African Republic, Burundi, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Liberia, Kenya, Niger, Chad, Madagascar, Botswana, Rwanda, Mozambique, Gabon, Burkina Faso, Congo and Algeria. Members of the Health Action in Crises cluster from WHO headquarters in Geneva also participated in the weeklong meeting.

"This meeting has identified ways to further strengthen the way national health systems can function during and after a crisis," Dr Khatib said. "Our goal as humanitarians is to reduce avoidable suffering and death. To do so we must keep improving the way in which we work with countries, help countries to strengthen their capacities and build stronger ties with the donor community to ensure they continue their valuable support to alleviating the health problems faced by millions of Africans."