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Health crises
heighten humanitarian despair in Ethiopia: WHO
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 ADDIS
ABEBA(July 12 - 13,2008) - Worsening malnutrition
and the threat of disease outbreaks are compounding Ethiopia's humanitarian
crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
WHO, in a statement, said it was working with the Government of Ethiopia
and health partners to support the 4.6 million people needing urgent
emergency food relief nationwide.
"The number of people needing food assistance is increasing markedly
in Ethiopia, and health risks are being compounded by the global food
security crisis, the impact of drought on agricultural production
and the country's weak health system," the world health body
said in its statement issued in Geneva and Addis Ababa.
WHO said annual rains to come during the coming months are expected
to again cause large-scale flooding, increasing loss of crops and
risk of disease.
"In humanitarian terms, the situation is unacceptable,"
Assistant Director-General for WHO's Health Action in Crises Cluster,
Dr Eric Laroche, said in the statement.
"The health of millions of Ethiopians is worsening by the day,
and the international community must act to support the country's
government to ease this terrible suffering."
In three regions alone (Somali, SNNP and Eastern Oromiya), the number
of government-run feeding centres has risen from 200 three months
ago to 605 today.
Some 75 000 children aged under 5 need therapeutic and supplementary
nutrition support, the statement said, adding WHO, UNICEF and nongovernmental
organization partners were supporting the centres.
Additional major gaps affecting people's health and livelihoods are
lack of access to safe drinking water, shortages of drugs and medical
supplies and insufficient human resources.
WHO said the areas affected by shortages are also at significant risk
of disease outbreaks: diarrhoeal diseases, measles and meningitis.
Cases of acute watery diarrhoeal have been reported in 16 districts,
and outbreaks of cerebrospinal meningitis in 37 districts, WHO added.
It said more than 7000 cases of measles have been registered in 38
districts.
WHO works with Federal and regional government partners, UN agencies
and nongovernmental organizations to provide better health and nutrition
services throughout Ethiopia using emergency mobile teams; deploy
drugs, medical and nutrition supplies and staff for emergency action
in affected areas, among others.
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