Brazzaville, 20 November 2012 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) is proposing a strategy to address the negative health and economic impact of natural and man-made disasters frequently experienced in the African Region.
 
The strategy, developed by the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO), was today presented by the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, to the 62nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa which is taking place in Luanda, Angola.

Dr Sambo said that an earlier strategy, focusing mainly on disaster preparedness and response, was developed by WHO/AFRO and adopted by the Regional Committee in 1997. However, recent developments, following recurrent major disasters, have necessitated a paradigm shift towards disaster risk management as articulated in a World Health Assembly resolution which urges Member States to strengthen health emergency and disaster risk management programmes.   

“This new regional strategy therefore focuses not only on response to emergencies and disasters, and mitigation of their consequences, but also on preventing them through strengthening risk management in accordance with the above resolution”,  the Regional Director further explained. 

The strategy proposes six priority actions that must be carried out by countries to enable them to manage disaster risks. These include the development of appropriate laws and policies, building adequate capacities in national ministries of health for health sector risk management and conducting regular assessments of how vulnerable they are to disaster as well as of their capacity to manage the health consequences of disasters.

The others are building the capacity of communities, strengthening preparedness for response by developing, evaluating and revising response plans based on a comprehensive risk analysis, and the use of appropriate indicators to generate disaster related information.

WHO estimates that in 2010, the African continent experienced 69 disasters affecting 9.9 million people.  
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For more information, please contact:

Dr Stella Anyangwe; anyangwes [at] afro.who.int; tel: +47-241-39224
Samuel T. Ajibola, ajibolas [at] afro.who.int ; tel: +47-241-39378
C. Boakye-Agyemang  boakyec [at] afro.who.int; tel: +472 413 9420; tel  (Angola) + 244 943801810

Disaster risk management - A strategy for the health sector in the African Region