Research Paper.
As the fighting in Syria winds down, international humanitarian organisations (IHOs) operating from Damascus are hopeful that the Syrian government’s interference in their work will decrease. However, the government is attempting to formalise its influence over humanitarian operat...ions.
Throughout the Syrian conflict, the government has imposed multiple administrative processes on humanitarian organisations to limit their ability to operate independently. This includes restricting the operational environment; undermining organisational independence; imposing local partners; influencing procurement procedures; and preventing direct monitoring and evaluation.
While some level of coordination with the government might be a pragmatic necessity to ensure the safety of operations in regime-controlled areas, this cooperation should not enable the government to use aid for military or political purposes. Consequently, international humanitarian organisations have an ethical dilemma in how they provide aid in these areas without undermining their principles of humanity, independence, impartiality and neutrality.
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WHO has developed a new health kit to support treatment for chronic disease patients in emergency settings. The prevalence of NCDs is increasing worldwide, including in emergency/crisis-prone areas. Yet current humanitarian response has not accounted for this emerging burden. The NCD kit attends to ...cover this gap by providing essential medicines and medical devices for the management of hypertension and cardiac conditions, diabetes and endocrine conditions, chronic respiratory diseases, and mental health and neurological conditions and neurological conditions for outpatient care in primary health care settings.
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The document "Priority medical devices list for the COVID-19 response and associated technical specifications" complements this guideline.
This document provides interim guidance on the quality, performance characteristics and related standards of personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used i...n the context of COVID-19. This includes WHO Priority Medical Devices, specifically: surgical masks, non-surgical masks, gloves, googles, face shields, gowns and N95 masks. It is intended for procurement agencies, occupational health departments, infection prevention and control departments or focal points, health facility administrators, biomedical and materials engineering, PPE manufacturers and public health authorities at both national and facility levels.
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Midwifery Capacity Building Strategy for Northern Syria
2017-2021
Conflict and Health 2015, 9:8 doi:10.1186/s13031-015-0035-8
The document focuses on household water treatment methods to ensure access to safe drinking water, particularly in areas with limited access to clean water sources. It highlights the importance of safe water, noting that contaminated water is a major cause of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea and... cholera. Treating water at the household level is emphasized as an effective way to reduce health risks.
The document outlines several treatment methods, including boiling, which kills most pathogens; chlorination, which disinfects water by adding chlorine; filtration, which removes dirt and certain microbes using simple or advanced filters; and solar disinfection (SODIS), which involves exposing water in clear plastic bottles to sunlight for several hours to kill microbes. Additionally, it stresses the importance of safe water storage, such as using clean and covered containers to prevent recontamination, and practicing good hygiene, including regular handwashing and maintaining cleanliness around water sources.
By promoting these methods, the document aims to raise awareness and provide practical solutions for improving water quality at the household level, thereby reducing the spread of diseases and enhancing public health.
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Now entering its sixth year, the conflict in Syria continues to take a drastic toll on the lives of the Syrian people and to drive an unprecedented humanitarian and protection crisis: some 13.5 million people are now in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, including 6 million children. Ha...lf of the country’s pre-crisis population has been forced from their homes, with around one third of the remaining population now displaced within Syria and over 4.8 seeking refuge in neighbouring countries and beyond.
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This document summarizes current WHO guidance for public health surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (hereafter referred to as COVID19 surveillance).