Cyclone Nargis 15 May 2008 – Situation
Report & Update
First of IHP’s Medicines from the UK are distributed
IHP’s Response
- IHP is coordinating the donation of medicines from the UK to
support the medical teams of UK and international NGOs working
in the WHO Health Cluster
- IHP’s first shipment of 10 emergency kits of essential
medicines was sent last Friday, 9th May, to Merlin and are being
taken into Yangon with medical professional traveling to teams
working in the Ayeyarwady Delta
- A second shipment of 20 medical kits is being flown today, 15th
May, to Yangon with World Emergency Relief to support the medical
teams of ADRA International
- 50 emergency kits will have been sent by the end of the coming
week, which represent approximately 75,000 treatments for children
and adults, provided by over 20 companies with value of over £200,000
- IHP is planning a second phase programme, to provide donations
of specific medicines requested by the WHO, Ministry of Health
and the Health Cluster of 22 international medical NGOs. IHP has
already received offers of essential medicines exceeding £300,000
from companies across the UK industry (branded, generic, over
the counter and wholesalers). These will be sent to meet
specific needs once the aid corridors are more fully opened.
- IHP supports the WHO Guidelines for Donated Medicines which
call for first quality medicines with over 12 months dating.
27 companies have so far donated or offered donations of requested
essential medicines: Alliance Boots, Altana, Astra Zeneca, Co-op/Wardles,
Dr Reddy’s, Galderma, Generics UK, Genus, Holland & Barrett,
Hydrachem, J&J/LifeScan, Janssen Cilag, Kent Pharmaceuticals, Lamberts
Healthcare, Merck Serono, Pfizer, PLIVA, Procter & Gamble, Ratiopharm,
Reckitt Benckiser, Roche, Rosemont, Sandoz, sanofi-aventis, Seven Seas,
Smith & Nephew and Wyeth.
Background
Category 4 Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008, sweeping
through the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) delta region with 120 miles (190
km) per hour winds followed by a 12-foot (3.7-metre) wave that leveled
villages and caused most of the casualties and damage. Five
states and divisions (Yangon, Ayeyarwady, Bago, Mon and Kayin) have
been declared to be disaster areas, with 24 million people, nearly
half the country's population, affected.
It is quickly becoming clear that the cyclone has caused unprecedented devastation
in the affected areas. Buildings and infrastructure have been severely damaged,
and flooding is widespread. The low-lying delta region also suffered from the
effects of a sizable storm surge, which is feared to have wiped out whole villages.
Assessments have been conducted by 18 agencies in 55 townships. Based on these
assessments, it is estimated the number of dead will reach 120,000 with almost
2 million severely affected and 220,000 missing. The UN estimates that 5,000
square kilometers are still flooded.
Health Situation
The WHO reports the main health concerns are the loss of access to health
services in the affected areas, due to damage to health facilities and
possible loss or displacement of health personnel. Displacement, overcrowding
and loss of access to safe water has increased the risk of communicable
diseases. Malaria and tuberculosis are two of the major public health
hazards in the country. A crisis room has been activated in the WHO
office in Yangon. The Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC)
Country Team has activated the Cluster approach, involving the health,
logistics, protection, water and sanitation, food and nutrition clusters.
WHO leads the Health Cluster of 22 medical NGOs. The UN Country
Team considers critical needs to be plastic sheeting, water purification
tablets, cooking sets, mosquito nets, emergency health kits and food.
Reports of water and fuel shortages are already appearing in mainstream
media. The food security situation in the country, which was already
severe, looks set to become far more acute.
Aid Shipments
The first aid flights went into Myanmar last weekend, and the number
of commercial flights arriving has substantially increased over the
last few days. Logistics capabilities in Myanmar are very restricted
and a significant amount of the coordination is being undertaken from
Bangkok. IHP is liaising closely with the UK Government
response team at DFID, WHO, the logistics cluster and with the international
emergency NGOs which already had teams on the ground before the emergency.
Supporting the Relief Effort
Product Donations: IHP has approached the pharma
industry in UK for donations of additional essential medicines
for use in emergency kits and to meet specific needs. Pharma companies
wishing to support the response should contact IHP by e -mail with
offers of available medicines and using the donations
form which provides all the necessary information for customs clearance.
An Essential Medicines
List has
been issued for the Myanmar Cyclone response, by the WHO in liaison
with the Ministry of Health.
Financial Support: Each £1 donated to IHP
will lever and deliver over £10 of donated medicines to the emergency
teams on the ground. This is a very effective way of multiplying
your donations and support the medical emergency teams active in Myanmar.
 Please
click on the bubbles to donate online to IHP via our Charities Aid Foundation
account.
Latest WHO Situation Report 7: here
Latest OCHA Report 10: here
Latest
map of deployed health teams here
Essential Medicines List for the Myanmar Cyclone is attached here |
and training
assignments. The packs are widely used by international emergency medical
teams in disasters. 
Partnership Projects
IHP is establishing a small
number of Country Programmes. Each programme reflects the unique
needs of the specific country. IHP is
working with the Ministry of Health and WHO in The Gambia to establish
The Gambia Health Alliance - an international collaboration bringing
together the Government, international agencies, hospitals, companies
and charities in UK and Europe to partner with local partners to
help build the capacity of the Health System. 