Public health round-up

WHO is coordinating the response to the health emergency with the Nepal government following the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the Himalayan kingdom on 25 April, killing more than 8000 people and injuring more than 18 000 (as of 12 May). Repeated aftershocks, including another major earthquake registering 7.3 on the Richter scale on 12 May, have also been recorded, putting the lives and health of millions of people at risk in many of the country's more than 70 districts. Twenty-six hospitals and some 900 health facilities – mainly small health posts in remote, mountainous communities – were damaged or destroyed by the quake. The five major hospitals in the capital Kathmandu continued to function thanks to retrofitting and other risk-reduction measures as part of a national preparedness campaign for a major earthquake. More than 50 000 patients had been treated in hospitals in the 14 districts that were most affected by the earthquake as of 5 May, but gaps remained across many parts of the country in both emergency and routine health-care provision. The Nepalese government and WHO have called on governments and other donors to provide health-care workers through two systems: the United Nations Health Cluster that provides humanitarian care workers and WHO's foreign medical team initiative. " Nepal's earthquake increases risks for patients suffering from a range of diseases. The disruption of medication, especially for major diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, can be very dangerous and even life-threatening, " said WHO medical officer Dr Frank Paulin, one of 20 emergency response staff sent to Nepal within days of the disaster. WHO has contributed more than US$ 1.1 million to the emergency response operations in Nepal and sent medicines, emergency medical kits and other health supplies to treat tens of thousands of people. " Major challenges remain, including securing enough funding for the country's health sector given the risk of more aftershocks and the rainy season, which starts soon, as that increases the risk of outbreaks of diarrhoeal diseases, acute respiratory infections and other diseases, " said Dr Roderico Ofrin, WHO regional coordinator for health security and emergency response. Only 34 of 133 countries that responded to a WHO survey in 2013–2014 said they had comprehensive national plans to fight resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines and even fewer already have systems in place to combat the problem. The survey findings are presented in a …