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The Tsunami in South Asia:
Six Months Later
The rebuilding and reconstruction
phase that is underway in many countries in South Asia affected
by the devastating Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami of December
2004 has opened a window of opportunity for the health sector
of these countries to strengthen their health systems in a
long-term, sustainable manner.
Six months after the
disaster, local health capacity and infrastructure are being
fortified and local health professionals have been trained
to serve their communities better. WHO has focused on a number
of areas, such as disease surveillance to help prevent major
outbreaks, providing technical advice by mobilizing public
health experts, developing technical guidelines and training
courses, and coordinating the health response.
| More than sic moths after
the tsunami, WHO continues to focus on long term health
capacity development. |
Medical supplies and equipment
have been provided to affected hospitals and medical centers.
The public health laboratory in the Maldives has received
a water purification system and accessories to assist in surveillance
and monitoring of chemical and microbiological contaminants
in food.
All activities are being
developed and carried out in close coordination with the government
health authorities in each affected country to ensure sustainability.
For example, the epidemiological surveillance and outbreak
response system, established in the province of Aceh, Indonesia,
will now be used as part of the country’s routine integrated
disease surveillance.
For more about the World
Health Organization’s activities visit www.whosea.org
and click on “Complete Tsunami Coverage.” This
excellent site includes many reports and feature stories,
a tsunami photo library and emergency health guidelines. See
page 6 for a new publication on WHO’s post-tsunami health
activities.
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