[ad_1]
Photo credits: UN News Centre
Dry land on the desert plains of the Danakil Depression in northern Ethiopia. Photo: Siegfried Modora/IRIN
UN sends emergency health team to Ethiopia as devastating drought looms
Affected by the El Niño phenomenon, Ethiopia is experiencing the worst drought in 30 years. 8.2 million people are in urgent need of food aid. The United Nations has sent an emergency health team to assist the government in coping with the crisis, which is expected to worsen further in the next eight months.
World Health Organization (WHO), Michelle Gale, explaintoday.
She added: “This places an additional burden on people’s health and health systems, as malnutrition, especially among children, makes them vulnerable to more severe infectious diseases, which can quickly kill.”
The current El Niño, one of the strongest on record, is caused by a periodic warming of the Pacific Ocean that affects climate across large swathes of the globe, bringing more flooding to some regions, longer droughts to others, and stronger typhoons and cyclones.
Ethiopia experienced two poor growing seasons in 2015. The country’s main annual harvest was severely reduced due to delayed rains caused by the El Niño phenomenon. The number of malnourished children has increased every month since January, and 400,000 children may be severely malnourished in 2016. In addition, approximately 700,000 pregnant women and recent mothers are at risk of severe malnutrition.
WHO anticipates a significant increase in health risks and has mobilized medicines, equipment and human resources. Vulnerable groups, such as children who need therapeutic food and health care, are particularly at risk of illness and death. El Niño is likely to lead to a significant increase in diseases such as malaria, dengue, diarrhoea and cholera, which are major killers of children.
Ethiopia is one of the countries worst affected by El Niño so far. “We are very concerned that there are not enough resources to provide an effective and coordinated health response for the whole country of Ethiopia,” said Kebba Jaiteh, WHO Emergency Response Coordinator in Ethiopia. “Without an appropriate response, El Niño could reverse years of progress that Ethiopians have made in terms of health.”
Read the full article: UN News Centre
[ad_2]
Source link
