ISLAMABAD, 9 October 2014 (IRIN) - As waters continue to recede after floods that have affected more than 2.5 million Pakistanis, health experts warn a further crisis may be unfolding with thousands of communities at risk of vector and water-borne disease.

In its latest Pakistan flood report, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights a high risk of dengue, malaria, and even cholera outbreaks among the many thousands of families surrounded by large areas of stagnant water. A lack of clean water, sanitation and hygiene systems as well food insecurity and a shortage of accessible medicines are all compounding the threat.

Muhammad Fawad Khan, health cluster and emergency coordinator at WHO, Islamabad, told IRIN: “Due to stagnant water - an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes - the risk of an increase in dengue cases, malaria and cholera outbreak is high, as water sources are contaminated.” The first outbreaks, he warned, could occur within weeks.

In the village of Jindyana in Jhang District in Punjab, father of five Bashir Ahmed said his children were suffering from diarrhoea, infections and eye problems. His house and his crops were washed away in the flood and he and his family have been sleeping in the open. “We have barely eaten in days and I am worried about my children. But there are no medicines and no dispensary within a day’s walk.”

2.5 million people affected

The latest floods, which began in the first week of September, are the worst the country has seen since 2011 and are believed to have affected Punjab, the country’s “bread basket”, worse than any floods in 40 years.

Some 2.4 million acres (971,000 hectares) of standing crops have been lost. More than 350 people were killed, according to official statistics, but some observers believe the number may be higher and will not be known until more detailed assessments are complete. Access to some remote areas has only been possible within the last few days, with many roads under water, adding to the difficulty of assessing the true extent of the damage.

And the troubles are likely to get worse before they subside, with an uptick in disease now a real danger, according to WHO.

The WHO report also cited increases in acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea and skin diseases, borne out by villagers across two of the worst-affected districts in Punjab - Hafizabad and Jhang. Just days following the flood, which in some parts saw a surge of water 10 feet deep wash entire villages away, emergency assessment teams from the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) encountered children with diarrhoea, eye infections and the early signs of skin disease.

Further south, as flood waters receded, PRCS teams encountered more villagers who had not received any assistance, more than a week after the emergency. Here, villagers in Rashidpur Wala had little food and the teams saw children clearly suffering from skin disease and infection.

Farmer Muhammad Ejaz, a father of three from Rashidpur Wala in Jhang District, said his house was badly damaged by the floods which had also ruined his three-acre crop of sugarcane. The fields surrounding his hamlet were still under three feet of stagnant water. He told IRIN: “You can see in their eyes the children are not well. They have fevers and have signs of skin disease. Many children in the village have diarrhoea. I see them grow weaker every day. But there is no medicine and the nearest dispensary is in Jhang City, about 10 miles [16km] away.”

While national and local government agencies led the evacuation and rescue effort, PRCS has been supported by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), one of the first international humanitarian organizations to respond to the emergency.

Emergency appeal

Immediate assistance has focused on a series of food distributions. Since then, the PRCS operation has been expanded and the IFRC has launched an international emergency appeal for additional funding of US$3 million to support more than 227,000 people. Its operation will focus on increased food and relief item distributions, water and sanitation, health and hygiene promotion, psychosocial support and emergency shelter assistance.

Ghorkhmaz Huzeynov, head of delegation, IFRC Pakistan, said: “The Emergency Appeal will complement Pakistan Red Crescent’s floods response with food distributions and health services, while also covering hygiene promotion activities. These are the immediate needs that have also been identified by the recent Multi-sector Initial Rapid Assessment [MIRA] undertaken by the authorities.”

International NGOs are also understood to be engaged in emergency response activities, coordinating with appropriate local authorities, mainly within the flood-affected areas in which they already have projects. Nargis Khan, policy and communications adviser for the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF - representing more than 50 international NGOs operating across the country), said: “INGOs continue to work on the ground through partners and directly delivering emergency assistance in Punjab and Azad Jammu Kashmir, working in food security, livelihoods, emergency shelter, Non-Food Item distribution, health, and water, sanitation and hygiene. Others are ready and willing to respond. Once the Government approves and finalizes the MIRA [report] organizations will work with the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities and other actors to support next steps.”

International support

Meanwhile, efforts to strengthen a coordinated approach to meet immediate needs and move towards longer-term recovery are gathering pace. The initial assessment of damage caused by the late monsoon rains - and immediate needs - have been shared by government officials at a special briefing, at which it called for ideas and cooperation from international agencies.
Following the briefing, the government said it aimed to create a framework of action for flood recovery and called for ideas from the international community, represented at the 3 October meeting by key Western donors.

Annette Hearns, acting head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Pakistan, described the government move as a “positive step”. She said: “The minister of finance [Muhammad Ishaq Dar] invited ideas from the international community to establish a mechanism for effective flood recovery efforts in a transparent manner.”

As a result, Hearns added, the UN Development Programme will support a detailed flood recovery needs assessment, working alongside government agencies at local and national level, while The World Bank and Asian Development Bank would support a damage needs assessment.

Many flood-affected communities were already moving towards recovery, she said - and their needs would be central in shaping support initiatives in coordination with local and national government bodies in the weeks and months ahead.

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Thimphu: In an effort to enhance disaster preparedness and recovery in Bhutan, the UNDP Bhutan Country Office, in close collaboration with the Department of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs developed a project on “Disaster Response and Recovery Preparedness (2014 – 2016).” This joint effort will receive USD 200,000 (Nu. 12,104,000) from the United Nations Development Programme/Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery. The programme implementation will be led by the Department of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs in collaboration with other sectors such as Department of Forest and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forest, National Land Commission Secretariat and other stakeholder agencies in the government.

The forest fire of February 2014 was a testament to Bhutan’s vulnerability to natural disasters. The capital saw over 2,000 acres of forest ravaged and the fire lasted almost three days despite the fact that more 700 fire fighters and volunteers rushed into the fire disaster site. In response, UNDP and the government agreed to emphasize the need for a more systematic response coordination mechanism and capacity to effectively combat such disasters in the future.

UNDP’s Resident Representative Christina Carlson says, “The project is designed to strengthen response and recovery competence at the national and local levels. It will include various methods like setting up Early Recovery Networks and provide tools to assess damages, losses and needs at the early stages. The project will also reduce the impact on peoples’ lives and livelihoods when hit by disasters through effective communication and coordination.”

Bhutan is vulnerable to a number of hazards due to its fragile geological conditions, vulnerable ecosystem and climatic conditions. These hazards include forest fires, earthquakes, floods including flash floods and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), landslides, outbreaks of pests and epidemic diseases, droughts, and windstorms. These disasters often results in damages to property, loss of lives and health issues often affecting the most vulnerable communities. To deal with these crises the project will help implement the 2013 Disaster Management Act through interventions on disaster preparedness; responding to forest fires, flashfloods, windstorms, earthquakes and other climate change induced disasters. This will be done through strengthening institutional capacity of government entities for efficient and effective coordination of response and recovery in Bhutan.

UNDP has over the past decade been providing technical and financial support for disaster risk management and recovery activities in the country. From being actively engaged in supporting disaster response, relief and rehabilitation activities, UNDP continues to help communities in Bhutan prevent and recover from natural disasters through advocacy, capacity building, development of tools and methodologies, gender equality, knowledge networking, strategic planning and programming, and policy and standard setting.

Contact Information

Karma Lodey Rapten Portfolio Manager, CC Adaptation and DRR UNDP Bhutankarma.rapten@undp.org

Tandin Wangmo Sr. Programme Coordinator, GNHC Thimphu – Bhutantandinw@gnhc.gov.bt

Faits saillants

• Début Juillet, les nouvelles procédures de Suivi & Rapportage ont été dévoilées en prenant compte les agences onusiennes et les ONG dans le même système.

• Au cours du 3ème semestre, les « feasibility studies » (études prospectives) ont été lancées et plusieurs projets « pilote » identifiés.

• Fin août 2014, dans le cadre des allocations spécifiques pour le Katanga, le Nord Kivu et la Province Orientale, le Coordinateur Humanitaire a validé 22 projets qui lui avaient été soumis par le Comité Stratégique du Fonds Commun Humanitaire pour un montant total de 11.036.044 US$

• Début septembre 2014, le Coordinateur Humanitaire a octroyé à l’UNICEF, au PAM et à UNHAS la somme de 2.565.403 US$ pour lutter contre la maladie virale Ebola qui sévit en Equateur.

• Du 15/09 au 26/09, l’Unité Conjointe des Financements Humanitaires a été évaluée dans sa « gestion des risques » par le cabinet d’audit indépendant « Price Waterhouse Cooper ».

• Deux ateliers sur « la bonne gestion des projets et l’amélioration du partenariat entre les ONGs et le Fonds Commun Humanitaire » ont été organisés à Goma et Bunia. Au cours de ces ateliers les partenaires ont été sensibilisés à la gestion de la fraude et à la politique du FCH/PNUD en cette matière.

• En septembre, le Fonds Commun Humanitaire a reçu la contribution des Pays Bas s’élevant à 4.605.263 US$

• Le montant disponible fin septembre s’élève à 20.149.182 US$

AMMAN, 8th October, 2014 (WAM) -- The management of the U.A.E.-funded refugee camp in Mrajeeb Al Fhood, Jordan, organised several events for Syrian refugees and their children, on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha.

Organisers said that the activities were set-up in effort to bring some joy to the children and included carnival games, theatrical shows, face-painting and a clown act.

The Emirates Red Crescent oversees the camp which at present has around five thousand Syrian refugees staying there. The ERC said that it expects the number of refugees to rise to ten thousand.

WAM/Rasha/Moran

Iloilo-- With the arrival of a ship bearing crates of GI sheets in Iloilo, the Philippine Red Cross can now begin the large scale shelter operations in the province.

Thousands of families devastated by typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas are going to have houses soon, with Iloilo as the first province to receive a large shipment of GI sheets in Eastern Visayas.

PRC Chairman Richard Gordon, who personally supervised the shipment of the first large tranche of GI sheets bound for Iloilo at the North Star transport facility in Baseco recently, said that "Iloilo is the first province that received a large shipment of GI sheets, but this is an operation that will reach ten provinces, all across the area devastated by typhoon Yolanda".

185 crates, containing over 350 sheets each or a total of 64,915 pieces, will be distributed to the towns of Ajuy, Balasan, and Lemery in the province of Iloilo to benefit 5, 277 families.

The GI sheets, together with all other necessary building materials to construct a shelter unit sourced in Iloilo, will be used for the construction of 2,600 core shelters and the provision of 3,700 shelter repair kits.

Gordon said that these were on top of the 7,000 houses already built by the Red Cross in Samar, Leyte, Cebu, and other places in Eastern Visayas.

Over the years, Gordon's leadership of the Red Cross has produced over 50,000 houses across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

"Whenever there is a disaster, the Red Cross is always there, during the emergency phase, when our first priority is the provision of relief. And then, during the recovery phase, when all our energies our geared towards helping these devastated communities get back on their feet again. "Gordon said.

At least two more shipments are scheduled for the provinces of Leyte and Cebu in the next few days, which will bring the total to over 300,000 GI sheets shipped for this phase of the operation.

Gordon said that it took some time to produce the GI sheets of this volume because ‘’ it’s difficult to obtain quality GI sheet from local sources. So we had to order customized GI sheets which conform to international standards, and had them painted red so donors can identify where the Red Cross houses are located. “

Gordon also added that although 1.6 M families were affected by typhoon Yolanda ‘’ our main objective is to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable. We aim to provide shelter to over 70 thousand families, the ones who really need them. Of course, there is so many more who need shelter, and that’s why the Red Cross is doing everything in its power to do more. We need everyone’s support to uplift the lives of those devastated by typhoon Yolanda. “

Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang said that for this particular shipment to Iloilo, 2,512 sheets for shelter repair will go to the town of Ajuy, 1,570 for shelter repair and 995 for core shelters will be brought to the town of Balasan, and 200 core shelters will be transported to the town of Lemery.

She added that ‘’ our hope is that by the time we mark the one year of Typhoon Yolanda, over 30 thousands units would have been repaired, and over 7 thousand core shelters constructed across the areas devastated by the storm. But even so, our work doesn’t end there. “

Pang also said that ‘’over all, this is a major operation for us. To put this in perspective, in the last ten years, the PRC has built over 50,000 shelter units across the entire country due to multiple disasters. For the communities affected by typhoon Yolanda alone, we will build well over 70,000 shelter units by next year“.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

5 KILLED, 10 INJURED AS REBELS ATTACK IDP SITE

On 1 October, armed rebel groups attacked an IDP camp in Bambari, killing 5 and injuring 10 persons, according to media sources. The NGO Mercy Corps was also pillaged during the attack. Senior Humanitarian Coordinator for CAR, Clare Bourgeois, issued a statement condemning the violence against civilians and aid workers.

CAMEROON

8 KILLED IN ROCKET ATTACK FROM NIGERIA

On 6 October, eight people were killed in Cameroon after Nigerian insurgency group, Boko Haram, reportedly launched a rocket attack from the northeast Nigerian town of Banki into Amchide town in northern Cameroon. MALI

10 UN PEACEKEEPERS KILLED IN GAO AND KIDAL

On 3 October, nine UN Peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in the northern region of Gao. This is the single deadliest attack on UN troops in Mali since the mission was deployed in July 2013. On 7 October, at least one UN Peacekeeper was killed in an attack on a UN compound.

NIGERIA

9 MILLION AFFECTED IN NORTHEAST, 3 MILLION NEED ASSISTANCE The Nigerian National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) reports that some nine million people in the Northeast have been affected by the region’s growing conflict— with some three million persons in dire need of humanitarian assistance. NEMA also reports that 500 educational institutions and 3,000 health facilities in the region are closed or have been partially destroyed by the insurgency.

TOWNS RE-CAPTURED

Media reports indicate that the Nigerian military has re-captured three towns in Adamawa from insurgent group, Boko Haram. An estimated 500,000 people fled these towns following attacks by the group, who has controlled the area for the past three months. OXFAM and IRC to continue activities in Madagali and Michika.

REGIONAL : EBOLA

23 PER CENT INCREASE IN EVD CASES

WHO reports this week that there are currently 8,033 EVD cases (suspected, probable and confirmed) resulting in 3,879 deaths—a 23 per cent increase in caseload since last week. The first case of transmission outside of West Africa was reported on 6 October of a health worker in Madrid, Spain who treated patients from West Africa. A first case of EVD was also reported in Beyla in Guinea, on the border of Ivory Coast.

UNMEER DEPLOYS TO EVD AFFECTED COUNTRIES

The head of UNMEER, SRSG Anthony Banbury, is in the region this week, visiting headquarters in Ghana and meeting with key actors in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

THE GAMBIA

200,000 GAMBIANS IN NEED OF EMERGENCY FOOD AID

Poor rains this year have worsened conditions for 1.8 million food insecure Gambians, 200,000 of who are in need of urgent food insecurity. Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, Robert Piper, has called for $USD18 million to support humanitarian efforts, only 21 per cent has been funded this year.

WFP is scaling up its response to the Ebola virus to provide assistance to around 1 million people affected by the outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, delivering food alongside the health response. WFP is also assisting the wider humanitarian community with logistics, helping other organisations to get aid workers and critical supplies into the affected areas. Donate here

The Spread Of Ebola

The current Ebola epidemic in West Africa began with an outbreak in Guinea in December 2013. It has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. It is the most severe outbreak since the discovery of the virus in 1976.

Food Assistance

Here's what WFP is doing in the three most affected countries:

Guinea: WFP began food distributions because of Ebola four months ago and has reached around 40,000 people (in Biffa, Fria, Télémélé, N’Zerekore, Macenta and Guekedo districts). Preparations are being made to gradually increase distributions to 350,000 people over a period of three months.

Sierra Leone: WFP is reaching Ebola patients in health centres and affected households in the epicentres of Kenema and Kailahun as well as houses that are under quarantine in 12 out of 13 districts in Sierra Leone. Up to 400,000 people in Sierra Leone are targeted under the regional response for the next 3 months.

Liberia: Between July 1 and Sept. 4, WFP delivered food to some 67,000 people at Ebola case management centres and in quarantined communities. The distributions have covered 10 of Liberia’s 15 counties, including the West Point slum community in the capital Monrovia and the Ebola epicentre of Foya District in Liberia’s northern Lofa County. The plan is to reach 449,000 people over a three-month period.

Logistics

Because of its expertise in logistics, WFP has been given the job of coordinating logistics for the entire humanitarian community involved in the Ebola response. This happens through the Logistics Cluster -- the group of humanitarian organisations that work together to ensure services like transport and storage work well during big emergencies. The Cluster has already provided support to UN agencies, NGOs and government authorities.

WFP also manages the UN Humanitarian Response Depots (UNHRD), which store emergency supplies that can be transported within 48 hours. UNHRD has recently sent more than US$220, 000 worth of protective gear like gloves, masks and emergency health kits for the World Health Organisation (WHO), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and WFP from its depots in Ghana and Dubai.

In addition, it manages the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), which transports humanitarian workers and light cargo to emergencies around the world. UNHAS is currently operating in West Africa and has flown more than 100 passengers from organisations like WHO, UNICEF, MSF and WFP into and out of the Ebola-affected areas since Aug. 16.

10/9/2014 - 10:41 GMT

by Nina LARSON

Three-day quarantines are not enough to net all Ebola cases in a given area, Swiss scientists said this week after using genetic sequencing to map the early spread of the virus in Sierra Leone.

One of the three west African countries hardest hit by the raging epidemic that has killed nearly 3,900 people, Sierra Leone launched a nationwide three-day shutdown last month in a bid to find unreported cases.

But a team of scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) has determined through sequencing of early cases in the country that the average incubation period of the virus is around five days.

This means Sierra Leone, which turned up hundreds of new cases thanks to the shutdown, could have discovered many more if it had extended the quarantine for a few more days.

"You might happily stay home for three days but then on day four the disease breaks out when you actually leave the house again, and then you would transmit," research team head Tanja Stadler told AFP.

While the average incubation period for Ebola is five days, a person can carry the virus without showing symptoms or being contagious for anywhere from two to 23 days, she pointed out.

It remains unclear if nationwide shutdowns are effective at all, but if countries do opt for that route they should take guidance from the average incubation period, Stadler said.

• How many missing links? -

Her team, which works out of an ETHZ lab in the Swiss city of Basel, genetically sequenced 72 people infected with Ebola in Sierra Leone in May and June to build a virus family tree in a bid to reveal more about its transmission path.

Since Ebola mutates slightly each time it is transmitted to a new person, the scientists looked at how similar the virus was in different patients to evaluate how many missing links, or unreported cases, there were in their reconstituted transmission chain.

Their findings, published in the scientific journal PLOS earlier this week, show that each infected person on average transmitted Ebola to 2.18 others and that around 30 percent of cases had gone undetected.

Devastatingly, the data clearly shows that Ebola spread constantly through June, meaning that "whatever public health interventions were performed in Sierra Leone at that time did not help," Stadler said.

Sierra Leone in June counted only a few hundred infections and around 50 deaths, and it remains unclear if the findings can help inform the country's response today, as infections soar towards 2,800, with nearly 900 people already dead.

"Unfortunately, we don't have data from after the shutdown, because the method we developed would allow us to quantify if during (or following) the shutdown the transmission actually decreased," Stadler said.

Accessing Ebola data is complicated, since only a few dozen labs around the world have the security clearance to work with the deadly pathogen, and because it is dangerous for people on the ground to handle and send out the blood samples.

At least five of the doctors and nurses who helped gather the samples the Swiss study is based on have since died of Ebola, Stadler pointed out.

But she stressed that if armed with new data her team's method could quickly and quite accurately calculate the number of undetected cases in a given area.

"Hopefully people now know they should forward us new data if they get it," she said, adding that she hoped the research might inspire other labs to "dig deeper with other data sets."

nl/jwf/ec

© 1994-2014 Agence France-Presse

HIGHLIGHTS

• Talks between the Government of Sudan and SPLM-N in Addis Ababa on South Kordofan and Blue Nile have been postponed until after 25 October 2014

• UNHCR reports that 1,744 South Sudanese refugees arrived in Sudan over the past week, bringing the total number to 98,347 people

• Two national NGOs – NIDO and JMCO - received clearance to conduct health needs assessments in the eastern Jebel Marra area in Darfur

• DRA to start registering IDPs in all of Darfur shortly, supporting the issuance of national identification numbers, identification cards and other documents

• The number of food insecure people in Sudan is expected to start declining from 5.2 million from October 2014 and to reduce to 3.5 million people at the peak of the harvest.

FIGURES

People in need of humanitarian aid in Sudan - 6.9 million

Displaced people in Sudan - 2.9 million

IDPs in Darfur in 2013 in 2014 - 2 million (to date) 393,586

GAM caseload - 1.4 million

Refugees in Sudan (UNHCR) - 157,000

South Sudanese refugees in Sudan - since 15 Dec 2013 (UNHCR) - 98,347

FUNDING

986 million requested in 2014 (US$)

47.2 % reported funding

La metodología implementada para este taller, fue “aprendiendo haciendo”, es así como 22 personas provenientes de las Seccionales de Santiago de María, Jucuapa, San Miguel y Usulutan, participaron en el taller de Salud y Primero Auxilios Comunitarios (SPAC) el cual se fundamenta en el trabajo que los Voluntarios deben realizar en la comunidad, específicamente en la prevención de enfermedades, promoción de la salud, primeros auxilios, preparación y respuesta a desastres.

Los participantes miembros activos de diferentes Cuerpos Filiales que integran a Cruz Roja Salvadoreña, pudieron obtener diferentes conocimientos a través de los 7 módulos desarrollados durante 3 días.

“En los primeros tres módulos, se brinda un refrescamiento de los 7 Principios Fundamentales del Movimiento, así como enfatizarles el compromiso en la labor que ejecutan de acuerdo al Cuerpo Filial que representan, también se aprovecha para hablar sobre la estructura de gobierno de cada una de las filiales, entre otras temáticas; además de acentuarles la forma correcta de hacer voluntariado en la comunidad, los otros 4 módulos restantes son para trabajo comunitario en grandes emergencias”, explico Leonel Vásquez, facilitador del taller.

Además, dijo que los participantes deben haber cumplido con ciertos requisitos entre los que se encuentran haber obtenido algunos cursos, como: el de Análisis de Vulnerabilidad y Capacidades (AVC), Curso de Doctrina Básica, de Estatutos y Reglamentos, además de Primeros Auxilios.

Para este taller, el módulo 4 es el más extenso, consiste en primeros auxilios, los cuales son reforzados a través de la actualización de algunas técnicas, para luego enfocarse en el tema de la atención de primeros auxilios psicosociales o apoyo sicosocial, temática que se está implementando e impulsando para incorporar en la mayoría de programas, con la finalidad de preparar voluntarios comunitarios, para que estos ejecuten planes de acción en las comunidades cercanas a la Seccional que pertenecen.

Dicho plan a ejecutarse, debe ser autorizado por la junta local y realizarlo con los habitantes de las comunidades que se han motivado a pertenecer a la institución, buscando hacer un cambio de comportamiento; el taller fue financiado por Cruz Roja Finlandesa.

0. Major changes since last version of HIP

Important achievements have been made in Central America through the Drought Resilience initiative launched by ECHO in 2011. However, there is still room to consolidate the institutionalization process regarding drought resilience and specifically the link between national policies and massive replication in the region, as well as sustainability. There is also a need to be better link the drought resilience to DIPECHO projects, in order to better systematically tackle the drought hazard.

The HIP will allow partners and authorities to work together on how to integrate lessons learned into regular DRR programmes. This will consolidate the appropriation by authorities and will help defining a better mechanism of transfer to stakeholders working at field level with DRR programmes to better include actions related to the drought preparedness based on successful evidences.

The implementation of this additional funding of EUR 293 377 will be made by changing current actions.

AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan is refusing to let Syrian refugees cross the border, international refugee agencies said on Wednesday, expressing fear that thousands have been left stranded with limited access to food and other supplies.

Read the story on the New York Times.

MOD will provide hundreds of troops, an aviation support ship and 3 Merlin helicopters as the UK ramps up its efforts to tackle Ebola

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon laid out the measures at an emergency COBR committee meeting today, chaired by the Prime Minister, to discuss the UK’s response to the Ebola crisis which is being led by the Department for International Development.

Mr Fallon said:

The Ebola outbreak in west Africa is already a global threat to public health and it’s vital that the UK remains at the forefront of responding to the epidemic.

Following today’s meeting we are stepping up significantly the UK’s contribution and leadership in work to tackle the outbreak on land, in the air and at sea.

At the heart of the package is the commitment to provide more than 750 personnel to help with the establishment of Ebola treatment centres and an Ebola training academy.

We are deploying troops, helicopters and a ship – army medics and Merlin helicopters supported by RFA Argus – to provide direct support and reassurance.

The UK’s new pledge for military involvement will include:

• a commitment to provide further personnel to the region who will join the highly-skilled engineers, logisticians and planners that are already on the ground to support the construction of the Kerry Town Ebola treatment unit

• support for a World Health Organisation-led Ebola training facility to assist in the training of healthcare workers, logisticians and hygienists who are needed to staff treatment units; this support includes the provision of over 200 military staff to run the site

• three Royal Navy Merlin helicopters and aircrew and engineers to facilitate the rapid movement of key personnel to areas where they are required

• an aviation support ship that will operate as a forward base for our helicopters The UK armed forces have so far played a pivotal role in delivering the current British support as they work with the government of Sierra Leone to tackle the crisis.

Using British expertise and local building contractors, the UK has committed to support 700 new beds in Ebola treatment facilities.

This new package will further support the country’s stretched public health services in containing the disease by helping up to nearly 8,800 patients over a 6-month period.

Military personnel will deploy to Sierra Leone next week where they will join military engineers and planners who have been in country for almost a month, overseeing the construction of the medical facilities.

Bangui / Genève (CICR) – Une nouvelle flambée de violence s’est emparée des rues de la capitale centrafricaine, Bangui, faisant plusieurs morts et blessés. Des maisons et des commerces ont en outre été saccagés et incendiés. Le Mouvement international de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge appelle au respect de la vie et de la dignité humaines et à la protection de la population civile.

Hier, les volontaires et les équipes de secours de la Croix-Rouge centrafricaine ont été la cible de menaces ouvertes et directes, dues à une mauvaise perception de ses activités de récupération des corps des victimes par une partie de la population, qui a ainsi bloqué son action.

Dans ces moments très difficiles pour les habitants de la capitale, et en l'absence de services publics en mesure de s’en charger, la Croix-Rouge centrafricaine, avec l’appui de ses partenaires – dont le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) –, fait tout son possible pour récupérer les dépouilles des personnes tuées dans les violences afin que leurs familles puissent les inhumer dans le respect de la dignité humaine et des rituels. Quant aux blessés, ils sont évacués puis transférés vers les centres médicaux pour y être pris en charge.

La Croix-Rouge est extrêmement préoccupée par ces menaces, qui l’empêchent de mener ses activités de secours. De nombreuses victimes se retrouvent ainsi abandonnées à leur sort dans les quartiers de la capitale. « C’est vraiment regrettable que de tels agissements puissent compromettre toute assistance aux blessés », s’indigne Antoine Mbao Bogo, président national de la Croix-Rouge centrafricaine.

La Croix-Rouge appelle donc tous ceux qui portent une arme ou qui participent directement aux violences à respecter et faciliter l’action neutre et impartiale de ses équipes. « Sans sécurité, nous ne pouvons pas travailler et sauver des vies. Les menaces doivent cesser. Nous demandons à la population de faciliter le travail des volontaires de la Croix-Rouge, déclare Jean-François Sangsue, chef de la délégation du CICR à Bangui. Si ces menaces continuent, nous serons obligés de cesser toute activité de secours, laissant ainsi de nombreuses victimes livrées à elles-mêmes.

Informations complémentaires :

À Bangui :

Antoine Mbao Gobo, Société de la Croix-Rouge centrafricaine, tél. : +236 70020909 Barthelemi Saouré, CICR Bangui, tél. : +236 75 27 25 79 ou +236 72 69 81 87) À Genève :

Benoit Matsha-Carpentier, responsable médias, Fédération internationale, tél. : +41 79 213 24 13 Marie-Servane Desjonquères, chargée de relations publiques, CICR, tél. : +41 79 574 06 36

A. Situation analysis

Description of the disaster

A fast-spreading outbreak of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) is affecting several countries in West Africa. In February 2014, there was an outbreak of the virus in Guinea, which has since spread to Liberia, Nigeria,
Senegal and Sierra Leone and causing untold hardship; and hundreds of deaths in these countries. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an outbreak of the EVD has also been reported. As of 8 October 2014, a total of 6,737 cases, and 3,061 deaths had been recorded, which were attributed to the EVD. In Guinea, 1,103 cases and 668 deaths have been registered, with the regions of Macenta, Gueckedou, N’Zerekore and Kissidougou most affected. In Senegal, one confirmed case has been reported, along with 73 confirmed contacts. It is the first time an outbreak of this size is being experienced in West Africa; and the number of cases is expected to increase exponentially.

The virus has continued to spread across borders in West Africa. To date, no treatment or vaccine is available for EVD, which kills between 25 and 90 per cent of victims, depending on the strain of the virus.
The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces or sweat, or by sexual contact or unprotected handling of contaminated corpses. Efforts to stop the ongoing spread and bring the epidemic to an end are gaining in commitment and capacity; however the risk of further spread, both within the affected countries and more widely is also a real possibility and needs to be planned for appropriately.

Guinea Bissau has been categorized as “high risk country” by WHO, because of its borders with Guinea, in particular the localities of Gabu and Oio, as well as Bafata and Sao Domingo, which border Senegal.

The borders are not closed and circulation of persons and goods is a factor of risk aggravation.
Since the confirmation of the EVD in Guinea, the IFRC with National Societies have developed a response strategy that includes supporting the National Societies of the affected countries and countries with a physical border to the affected countries.

The main activities implemented by IFRC to support affected National Societies include:

• Strengthening National Society volunteer and coordination networks through logistics and training support;

• Clinical case management, support with isolation and life-support;

• Contribution to epidemiological investigation and epidemic control measures;

• Case finding, contact tracing, disinfection and dead body management;

• Information, education and communication to the population and reduction of stigma;

• Psychosocial support; coping with crisis, grief and loss.

Main activities the IFRC is supporting the National Societies with a physical border to the affected countries include:

• Preparedness for response through volunteer training in communication around epidemics and behavioural change;

• Supporting Ministries of Health in prevention activities and social mobilization;

• Pre-positioning personal protective equipment and related training (but not through this DREF operation budget);

• Adaption and dissemination of information, education and communication material linked with community social mobilization activities.

Please note that the DREF operation is not supporting the development of a Guinea Bissau Red Cross Society (GBRCS) / IFRC contingency plan for EVD; and the proposed activities will followed the agreed regional response frameworks support to neighbouring National Societies.

A. Situation analysis

Description of the disaster

A flash flood triggered by a dam burst killed five people and injured nine others in Kazakhstan's northern Karaganda region (oblast). The overflowing water flooded nearly 354 houses in Kokpekty village after the dam of a water storage basin had burst at 1:30 a.m. on 31 March 2014. Some 400 inhabitants were evacuated, and five bodies were found by rescuers as the flood water reached as high as 1.5-1.8 meters in the village. In a few days the water drew back.

A special governmental commission assessed the damage on behalf of the Kazakh Government.
According to the results of the assessment involving 401 houses 14 were declared as totally destroyed, 24 were beyond repair and 122 required repair.

Luang Prabang (ICRC) – Twenty-four experts from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam gathered in Luang Prabang today to discuss national policies and best practices that could benefit people injured in accidents involving unexploded ordnance and improve their lives, as well as prevent new victims in the future. The one-day workshop was organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

"As our leaders adopted the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Social Protection at the 23rd ASEAN Summit last year, we are reminded that social protection is the right of everybody, including victims of unexploded ordnance, whose livelihood may be compromised owing to disabilities or other impediments," said Chomyaeng Phengthongsawat, deputy director-general of the Planning and Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. "Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam remain committed to provide social assistance to the victims through various ongoing programmes and strategies. Facing similar challenges, we could learn from each other and collaborate closely in responding to the needs of victims of unexploded ordnance in our respective countries."

Participants met to share experiences in delivering assistance to victims, such as by helping them obtain access to special schools and the job market, or by providing vocational training, rehabilitation, mine-clearance activities and community awareness programmes. They also identified the challenges involved in providing comprehensive assistance for victims, especially those living in remote areas. The workshop was a regional activity planned under the ASEAN Strategic Framework for Social Welfare and Development 2011-2015.

Laos alone is estimated to have had over 50,000 landmine and explosive remnant of war casualties up to the end of 2012, according to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, the vast majority of victims being civilians. Unexploded ordnance also poses a serious threat to future generations. "Unexploded ordnance has a devastating effect on societies, continuing to maim and kill civilians long after armed conflicts have ended," said Beat Schweizer, head of the ICRC’s regional delegation in Bangkok. "The long-term implications can deprive people of economic activities, health care and education."

The ICRC has been working since 1960 in South-East Asia, where it supports physical rehabilitation programmes for victims of unexploded ordnance and other remnants of war in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam. In June, it provided trauma-care and first-aid training for health-care personnel working with ordnance disposal units in Laos.

For further information, please contact:
Jean-Pascal Moret, ICRC Bangkok, tel: +66 (0) 950 12 70