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New delivery rooms in camps save mothers and give life
20 January 2016 – Every mother should expect childbirth to be full of positive and joyful memories. But current crises have hampered most pregnant women’s access to delivery rooms in Al-Habanyia tourist city and Al-Khaldia district in Ramadi City. To increase access to services and to provide every mother with the opportunity for a healthy start with her newborn child, Al-Anbar Department of Health, WHO and the United Nations Population Fund have established 2 delivery rooms in these 2 districts. These facilities will provide reproductive health care services to women of childbearing age and will ensure that 5150 internally displaced families n Al-Habanyia tourist city and 12 000 families in Al-Khaldia district have access to such services.
The project’s operational plan includes various stages, the most important part of which was securing all medical supplies for the new delivery rooms, with staff available on a 24/7 basis. Ambulances are available around the clock to refer emergency cases to hospitals and to transfer pregnant women from nearby internally displaced persons (IDP) camps to the delivery rooms.
“We are planning to deploy 5 new caravans in the 2 locations as additional delivery rooms. Because no gynaecologist is currently available in Al-Habanyia tourist city and due to high demand created by the high number of internally displaced families, an additional caravan was deployed to Al-Habanyia delivery room and a gynaecologist was hired to provide the required gynaecological and antenatal consultations to women there.
The establishment of the 2 delivery rooms has had a huge impact and brought a real positive change to reproductive health services in these 2 districts said Altaf Musani, Acting WHO Representative.
The number of consultations (both antenatal and gynaecological) provided from 1 October 2015 until 11 January 2016 were Al-Khaldia (1954) and Al-Habanyia (4765).
The number of deliveries were Al-Khaldia (313) and in Al-Habanyia (74). All births went well with no complications and healthy outcomes for the mother and child.
Iraq completes round one of oral cholera vaccination campaign
Baghdad, 12 November 2015 – This week, the Government of Iraq, with the support of WHO and UNICEF, completed the first round of the oral cholera vaccination campaign. The campaign has vaccinated 91% of the targeted population of Syrian refugees and internally displaced Iraqis in camps around the country. The turnout was very high with no refusals or concerns raised regarding the vaccine. A second round will begin in December to administer a second dose to ensure protection against cholera for five years or more.
Oral cholera vaccination campaign
The OCV campaign was discussed and agreed by stakeholders in September 2015. This was followed by planning and training sessions for governorate-level managers of the expanded programme on immunization in Baghdad on 26 and 27 October. On 28 October, training was provided to 1302 vaccinators and 651 social mobilizers in preparation for the first round of the mass vaccination campaign.
The ShancholTM vaccine used in the campaign is a WHO prequalified vaccine. To achieve the required protection among high risk groups, two doses of OCV ShancholTM vaccine will be administered with an interval of two to six weeks.
The first round of the campaign, lasting an initial five days, began on October 31 and the second round is due to take place in early December 2015. The administration of a second dose is needed to extend the duration of protection for five years or more. The vaccine is being administered to all persons over one year of age living in the target camps.
Cholera vaccination is an additional preventive measure that supplements but does not replace other traditional cholera control measures. “We need to intensify health promotion and education activities to help communities protect themselves and their families from cholera and other communicable diseases,” said acting WHO Representative Altaf Musani.
Intensive social mobilization and advocacy campaigns are therefore being undertaken, including the nationwide dissemination of one million water, sanitation and hygiene messages. Messages are being disseminated through electronic media, social media, mobile phones and mobile vans.
The campaign started on 31 October 31 in seven of the 13 governorates, followed by four more on 2 November (Dohuk, Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and Diyala), one on 3 November (Kirkuk) and one on 4 November (Anbar). Heavy rains, flooding and insecurity have delayed the completion of the vaccination campaign in most governorates in the central and southern parts of Iraq.
The Ministry of Health is leading the emergency response to curb the outbreak with technical support from the Cholera Task Force. In addition to advocacy efforts, the response focuses on supporting water, sanitation, and hygiene activities through monitoring of water quality and ensuring access to safe water inside health facilities and waste management at cholera treatment centres.
Staff from WHO, UNICEF and health cluster partners have been deployed to carry out the monitoring, evaluation and documentation of best practices in the introduction of the OCV in Iraq. They have also facilitated campaign logistics and preparation in selected locations to ensure that as many people as possible are protected.
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Rana Sidani
Senior Communication
Officer
WHO Regional Office,
Cairo
Direct: +20 2 22765552
Mobile: +20 1099756506
E-mail:
Ms. Rosane Lopes
Communications Officer
World Health Organization,
Iraq Country Office
E-mail:
Mobile: +964 7809 288 614
Saving lives with mobile health services in Afghanistan
For 30 years, Dr Aziza has been providing health services to those most in need.
August 2015 - For the past 4 years, Dr Aziza has been working as a midwife at a mobile clinic in Nasaji-Bagrami camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kabul. Operated by an Afghan nongovernmental organization Serve Health Relief and Development Organization (SHRDO), the clinic provides basic health services to 450 families living in the camp.
“I have seen a lot of positive change since I started working in this camp,” Dr Aziza says. “Before, people were not taking care of their personal hygiene and knew nothing about family planning or birth control. Now more and more women come to the clinic to seek these services.”
Despite progress in the last decade, maternal mortality rate remains high in Afghanistan with an average of 400 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births. Most of these deaths could be avoided by increasing women’s access to health services with skilled birth attendants.
Dr Aziza arrives at the camp at 8:30 am every morning and sees around 40 patients a day. She provides health education and also basic counselling services to women suffering from mental health issues. Many of her patients are pregnant women or women suffering from postnatal problems and high blood pressure.
Although the Nasaji-Bagrami IDP camp clinic does not have the facilities to provide childbirth services, Dr Aziza does what she can to help mothers and babies. She recommends women to go to hospitals and clinics for delivery and informs them about the risks associated with home births.
“One day when I came to the camp I saw one of my regular patients who had just given birth, telling me that the baby’s heart is not beating. I rushed to the mother and gave her baby mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and saved his life. I have also helped other women with their newborn babies,” Dr Aziza says.
Supported by the World Health Organization with USAID funding, the mobile clinic also provides life-saving vaccines to children. The mobile health team has been successful in changing the community’s perception about vaccination through outreach and health education. After receiving information about the benefits of vaccines, now almost all families come to the clinic regularly to immunize their children.
“I prefer to work in this clinic even if I have the chance to work in private hospitals,” Dr Aziza says. “Women are so deprived in our society. Through this work I can help them a lot which makes me very happy.”
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Biorisk management advanced trainer programme in Islamabad, Pakistan March 2014
The programme was held in March 2014 in collaboration with the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office and Pakistan WHO Country Office. This workshop aimed at training of trainers on Biorisk Management (BRM) to spread the culture of sound BRM practices that is based on the key principles of biorisk assessment and risk mitigation under a performance based biorisk management system.
The BRM training programme included a module on responsible life sciences research for global health security. Participants learned to practice using a systematic method of biorisk assessment. They gained skills in adult learning techniques, principles and theories to effectively design, develop and deliver effective trainings to peer colleagues in the field of biosafety and laboratory biosecurity. This training is part of the Biorisk Management five years strategic framework from 2012 to 2016 for enhancing laboratory capacity in the area of biorisk management.
Related links
Biorisk Management Advanced Trainer Programme (BRM ATP)
Laboratory Biorisk Management: Strategic Framework for Action 2012–2016
WHO biorisk management advanced trainer programme, Tunisia, June 2014
A workshop on biorisk management was conducted in collaboration with the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office and WHO Country Office in Tunisia. The workshop was held from 1 to 11 of June 2014. It aimed at training of trainers on Biorisk Management (BRM) to spread the culture of sound BRM practices that is based on the key principles of biorisk assessment, risk mitigation under a performance based biorisk management system.
The BRM training participants learned to practice using a systematic method of biorisk assessment. They gained skills in adult learning techniques, principals and theories to effectively design, develop and deliver effective trainings to their peers in the field of Biosafety and laboratory biosecurity. This training is part of the BRM five years strategic framework from 2012 to 2016 for enhancing laboratory capacity in the area of biorisk management. This programme is one of many WHO activities aiming at supporting IHR States Parties for national capacity building to meet the IHR core capacities.
Subregional training on the use of real-time PCR technique for diagnosis and detection of novel coronavirus
A sub regional training on the use of Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) technique for diagnosis and detection of novel coronavirus was held from 24 to 25 of June 2013. The training aimed at strengthening national capacity for novel coronavirus diagnosis, surveillance, preparedness and response and improving quality of laboratory based surveillance. The training focused on the following items:
- Novel coronavirus diagnosis using molecular methods
- Molecular diagnostic laboratory design and good laboratory practice
- Troubleshooting of novel coronavirus RT- PCR testing and interpretation of the results.
Training participants included members from Jordan, Libya, Lebanon, Qatar, Sudan and United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Iran, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia.
Related links
Interim recommendations for laboratory testing of novel coronavirus (pdf 188kb)
First mass vaccination campaigns start since polio found in Iraq
Middle East polio outbreak response continues
Amman, 6 April 2014– Polio vaccination campaigns commenced in Syria, Iraq and Egypt today, aiming to reach more than 20 million children over the next five days.
For Iraq, this will be the first nationwide vaccination campaign since a case of polio was confirmed by the Ministry of Health on 30 March in a six-month-old boy from Rusafa, northern Baghdad.
“The recent detection of a polio case in Iraq after a 14-year absence is a reminder of the risk currently facing children throughout the region,” said Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “It is now even more imperative to boost routine immunisations to reach every child multiple times and do whatever we can to vaccinate children we could not reach in previous rounds. That’s the only way we will prevent this outbreak from spreading further.”
The current vaccination rounds are part of a comprehensive response to the announcement, in October 2013, that wild poliovirus of Pakistani origin had found its way to Syria. In recognition of the risk of further international spread, the governments of seven countries across the Middle East, with the assistance of local non-governmental organizations, civil society groups and UN agencies, are endeavouring to reach 22 million children multiple times with polio vaccine. Since October 2013, 25 polio vaccination campaigns were completed across the region, including five rounds in Syria and six in Iraq.
The numbers of children being vaccinated in each round is rising; however, the outbreak response is yet to reach especially vulnerable groups such as children who are on the move fleeing violence from Syria or those living in the midst of active conflict.
“Midway into the implementation of this outbreak response plan, we’re reaching the vast majority of children across the Middle East,” said Chris Maher, WHO Manager for Polio Eradication and Emergency Support. “In the second phase of the outbreak response we must work with local partners to reach the hardest-to-reach – those pockets of children who continue to miss out, especially in Syria’s besieged and conflict areas and in remote areas of Iraq. We won’t stop until we reach them.”
Health teams in Lebanon and Turkey will also join the campaign on 10 and 18 April.
Since the outbreak was announced UNICEF has delivered 14 million doses of polio vaccines to Syria.
NOTE TO EDITORS
As of end of March 2014, 27 children have been paralyzed by polio in Syria: 18 of these children are in the contested governorate of Deir Ez Zour, four are in Aleppo, two in Idlib, two in Al-Hassakeh and one in Hama. Prior to this outbreak, no polio cases have been recorded in Syria since 1999. The risk of spread to countries in the Region and beyond is considered high, and health authorities from 21 countries have declared a public health emergency. Further polio immunization campaigns will be repeated across the region. In Syria, they will be carried out at monthly intervals until at least May 2014.
On 30 March 2014, the Iraqi Ministry of Health declared a polio outbreak when one case of polio was detected in a child in the Al-Rusafa area in the capital Baghdad.
Genetically-related polioviruses, which originated in Pakistan, have also been detected in sewage samples in Egypt in December 2012, and in Israel and the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 2013.
Inside Syria over the past years since the conflict erupted in 2011, immunization activities have been significantly constrained by the violence and access restrictions. Cold chain equipment in a number of districts has been lost and mobile health teams have not been able to perform regular visits. This has led to missing out on vaccinating between 500 000-700 000 children in these areas.
For further information, please contact:
Juliette Touma, UNICEF Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa in Amman,
Rana Sidani, WHO Regional Office in Cairo,
Sona Bari, WHO Geneva,
