Cabinet reaffirms Saudi position of resolving conflicts through diplomatic means    Saudi FM receives message from Iranian counterpart    AlUla becomes favorite global summer destination for photography enthusiasts    Foreign Trade Authority leads Saudi negotiating team in second round of GCC-Japan FTA Talks    Crown Prince extends period of study to regulate landlord-tenant relationship to 90 days    130 charities say controversial Gaza aid group must be shut down    Inzaghi hails 'historic' Al Hilal win over Man City: We climbed a mountain with no oxygen    Milinković-Savić says Al Hilal proved critics wrong after historic win over Man City    Al Hilal stuns Man City and stirs the world: 'One of the greatest nights in Saudi club football'    Michelin Guide launches in Saudi Arabia with phased rollout in 2025    Spanish PM's former aide detained without bail in corruption probe    US skips global UN meeting in Spain aimed at raising trillions to combat poverty    Al Hilal stun Manchester City in seven-goal thriller to reach Club World Cup quarterfinals    EU and Ukraine strike less ambitious but 'realistic' trade deal    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    New Social Insurance Law comes into force on Tuesday    Over 190,000 Umrah visas issued since start of the season    PIF assets soar to $1.15 trillion in 2024    Historic Jeddah's visual identity re-imagined through global art installations at Al-Arbaeen Lagoon    Brad Pitt's Los Angeles home 'ransacked', police say    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



WHO warns of disease threat amid Horn of Africa drought
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 18 - 08 - 2022

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday highlighted the need to support millions facing starvation and disease in the Horn of Africa.
Speaking from Geneva, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said drought, conflict, climate change and increasing prices for food, fuel and fertilizer, are all contributing to lack of access to sufficient food.
The countries affected are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
"Hunger and malnutrition pose a direct threat to health, but they also weaken the body's defenses, and open the door to diseases including pneumonia, measles and cholera," he explained.
Tedros said the crisis is forcing some people to choose between paying for food and healthcare, Many are migrating in search of food, which can put them at increased risk of disease.
WHO has provided more than $16 million from an emergency fund to address needs, but more support is required.
The agency is appealing for $123.7 million which will be used to prevent and control outbreaks, treat malnutrition, and provide essential health services as well as medicines.
Appeal for Tigray
Tedros said the drought is compounding the "man-made catastrophe" in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopian, where war has raged for nearly two years.
Some six million people are under siege by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, he said, "sealed off from the outside world, with no telecommunications, no banking services and very limited electricity and fuel."
As a result, they are facing multiple outbreaks of malaria, anthrax, cholera, diarrhea and other diseases.
"This unimaginable cruelty must end. The only solution is peace," said Tedros.
At the end of the briefing, he appealed for greater global attention to the situation in Tigray.
"I can tell you that the humanitarian crisis in Tigray is more than (in) Ukraine, without any exaggeration. And I said it many months ago, maybe the reason is the colour of the skin of the people in Tigray".
Ukraine nuclear readiness
Also at the briefing, a senior WHO official has underscored the agency's readiness to respond to any potential nuclear incident in Ukraine.
Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director, was answering a journalist's question regarding the deteriorating situation around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
WHO has been involved with the Ukrainian authorities since the beginning of the war, he said, including through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"We're in constant communication with the IAEA and remain ready as a member of the UN system to react, if there's a need to react," said Dr Ryan.
"A nuclear accident obviously would be catastrophic in the situation, to human life and to the environment, so we do remain concerned about that. We're guided by our colleagues at the IAEA, and will continue to offer medical response support to them and to the Government of Ukraine." — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.