Attachments
Overview
WHO continues to mobilize resources and scale up capacities to respond to outbreaks, health emergencies and natural disasters affecting Afghanistan in July 2022.
In addition to the 5.9 magnitude earthquake on 22 June 2022 that affected more than 361,000 people, including 1036 casualties, there was a 5.1 aftershock that hit the south-eastern provinces of Khost and Paktika on 18 July. WHO and humanitarian partners continue to provide life-saving support, including primary health care services and trauma care, mental health and psychosocial support services, medical supply kit distribution (71 MT of supplies, including over 60 different modules of IEHK, TESK, NCDK, and cholera) and deployment of 10 female health care workers. WHO is also enhancing mass casualty management with a Basic Emergency Care (BEC) course for 48 healthcare professionals conducted in Gardez in July. WHO, with support from partners, distributed long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) to earthquakeaffected communities and deployed 10 teams of social mobilizers to enhance risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) focusing on prevention of acute watery diarrhea and other infectious diseases.
Afghanistan continues to face multiple disease outbreaks. A significant surge of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) cases has been observed across the country. For measles, although the number of cases has decreased, all provinces continue to report cases. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) cases, including six associated deaths, have been reported from 13 provinces while a surge of new dengue fever cases was reported in Nangarhar province in July 2022. A COVID-19 vaccination campaign was launched on 16 July 2022, targeting 4.8 million individuals. As of 30 July, more than 2.1 million doses have been administered.
Furthermore, flash flooding increased in July, inflicting multiple causalities. Heavy rains also damaged thousands of houses and impacted infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, including areas impacted by the June 22 earthquake. WHO worked with MoPH to assess health facilities in flash flood-affected areas and provided emergency kits in Herat Province.
The Health Cluster Coordination team is working on the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund (AHF) on the second reserve allocation (RA) for 2022 with USD 4.7 million for the earthquake response. In addition, Health Cluster worked with stakeholders to develop the regional AWD response plans for the south, central, north, east, south-east and west regions and to enhance the coordination with WASH Cluster.