WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
ORGANIZATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE
Department of Emergency and Humanitarian Action
WEEKLY UPDATE
AFGHANISTAN
9 MARCH 2001
Mission:
Dr Gro Harlem Bruntland, Director-General of the World Health Organization (Geneva)
and Dr H. A. Gezairy, WHO Regional Director, Eastern Mediterranean Region (Egypt)
visited Islamabad, Pakistan.
In her speech at the inaugural session on a one day National Conference on Polio
Eradication in Islamabad, the WHO Director-General stressed that the epidemiological
block represented by Pakistan and Afghanistan is one of the major global virus reservoirs.
The only way for Pakistan and Afghanistan to avoid polio virus exportation to other
countries is to build on their own progress and achieve polio-free status as soon as possible.
The two rounds of NIDs will be synchronised between Afghanistan and Pakistan to
immunize every child even those on the move between the two countries. She added that
we are closer to finally defeating polio today than ever before. The challenge of UN, NGOs
and Governments in Afghanistan and Pakistan is to make it happen in 2001.
Coordination
A joint meeting of WHO and Mercy Corps International (NGO) was held at the WHO
office in Faizabad. The participants discussed the Roll Back Malaria programme in
Takhar and Badakhshan provinces. In another meeting of WHO, UNICEF, MOPH and
Focus, the participants discussed the facilities in Badakhshan province. Focus agreed that
with the assistance of WHO, UNICEF and MOPH, it would distribute CSB, sugar and
edible oil to the malnourished children and mothers.
Training:
WHO conducted a training workshop of Health Information System (HIS) in Faizabad
public health hospital for 27 health staff from the health facilities in various districts of
Badakhshan province.
Basic Development Needs (BDN):
A WHO team visited Faizabad and paid a visit to Argoo and Yaftal districts. They selected
these two districts for the implementation of the BDN programme in Badakhshan province.
The team selected Technical Support Teams (TST), the Village Development Committee
(VDC) and the Clusters in a big gathering organized by the people in the respective areas
Also, a one-day orientation seminar on the BDN approach and implementation strategy
was arranged for higher Government officials from different sectors including the
Governor of Badakhsahn, the Directors of Public Health, Agriculture and Education
Departments. They were familiarized with the advantages of the implementation of the
BDN programme.
NIDs:
WHO in close collaboration with UNICEF, MOPH and other UN agencies and NGOs is
preparing for 2001 National Immunization Days (NIDs). WHO offices in all eight regions
of Afghanistan chaired meetings on finalization of NIDs action plans and how to reach
hard to reach areas to vaccinate all children under five. Thousands of health workers,
district administrators, vaccinators, social mobilizers and volunteers have been trained for
this purpose. During the polio eradication campaigns in 2001, WHO needs the cooperation
and assistance of all partners (UN, NGOs and Government) to ensure that every child is
reached with oral polio vaccine in each of the three rounds in order to eradicate polio in the
world and to make Afghan children safe from this crippling disease.