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UNHCR News Story: UNHCR report says Syrian influx strains host country health services

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:44:58 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

A Syrian father watches as Turkish medical staff examine his child who has developed breathing difficulties.
UNHCR / A. Branthwaite

UNHCR report says Syrian influx strains host country health services

GENEVA, April 26 (UNHCR) – A UN refugee agency report released on Friday warns that the Syria refugee crisis is increasingly straining health services in surrounding countries, while refugees are facing increasing difficulties in accessing the quality treatment they need – particularly those with chronic and other costly health conditions.

The report, which covers the first three months of 2013 in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon, shows that refugees need treatment for a wide range of both common and conflict-related conditions, UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told journalists in Geneva.

"These include injuries, psychological illnesses and communicable diseases – e.g., respiratory illnesses, diarrhoea, skin and eye conditions – often found in other refugee settings worldwide plus other costlier and longer term chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular illnesses as well as expensive referral care that is more commonly diagnosed and treated in middle income countries," he explained.

With more than 1 million Syrian refugees in these three countries, and above 1.4 million around the region, there are two major problems facing the health system. First, with low funding for the refugee crisis, the challenge of providing access to quality health care for Syrian refugees is growing – particularly for people living outside of camps. Secondly, the increasing numbers of people needing medical help is straining existing health services in each of the affected countries.

"Both issues are a matter of serious concern to UNHCR," Edwards stressed, adding: "We continue, with our partners, to provide medical care for refugees in the camps in Jordan and Iraq. But for those refugees who live outside of camps, often in urban settings, the situation is more difficult."

In Jordan and Iraq, health care costs for refugees are covered by governments, UNHCR and many other organizations, but providing expensive referral care – such as renal dialysis, orthopaedic surgery and cancer treatment – is becoming much more difficult. In Lebanon, which has a largely privatized health care system and cost sharing is the norm, resource shortages mean UNHCR and partner agencies are faced with having to reduce support for both primary and more costly referral health care.

In terms of the overall health situation of Syrian refugees, the UNHCR report shows a mixed picture. Syrian refugees are not reported to be suffering from high rates of mortality and acute malnutrition. Mortality at the Za'atri camp in Jordan, for example, is reported at 0.1 per 1,000 people per month, while global acute malnutrition in children below five years is less than 5.8 per cent – neither rate being outside norms seen in the region. This is in contrast to many other humanitarian situations in other parts of the world.

However, preventative services, chronic disease treatment and expensive referral care are not sufficiently provided at a cost that refugees, despite the support provided by the governments and humanitarian agencies, can afford.

Edwards said that among people undergoing consultation for mental health illness, generalized anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder were found at Jordan's Za'atri camp in 21.6 per cent and 8.5 per cent of patients, respectively. "In Lebanon some 400 mental health consultations are conducted every week. Disease outbreaks have been limited thus far and the surveillance systems have been capturing them; these include limited transmission of measles, hepatitis A and leishmaniasis," he added.

The report was primarily based on information from established refugee camps except for data from Lebanon and showed, among other issues, that further work is needed to improve data collection – particularly for out-of-camp situations. UNHCR and its partners have alread

y begun working to address this issue.

As of last night 1,401,435 Syrians had registered as refugees in the region or were pending registration. This corresponds to 30 per cent more than the total envisaged under the current Regional Refugee Response Plan by end June 2013 – for which around 55 per cent of funding has so far been received. An updated plan is due to be presented to donors in late May. UNHCR continues to roll out additional capacity as funding comes in.

The report can be seen at data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/regional.php

UNHCR News Story: UNHCR warns of risks to civilians in Central African Republic as refugee numbers rise

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 03:44:23 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

These people were internally displaced in Central African Republic in an earlier outbreak of fighting.
UNHCR / H. Caux

UNHCR warns of risks to civilians in Central African Republic as refugee numbers rise

BANGUI, Central African Republic, March 15 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency said on Friday that renewed fighting in Central African Republic was threatening the civilian population in the south-east of the country and compromising UNHCR's access to refugees and internally displaced people.

On Monday, a peace agreement signed two months ago was further compromised when Seleka rebels attacked and captured the town of Bangassou. The rebels have been advancing eastwards towards the town of Zemio, where 3,300 refugees from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reside.

"As well as presenting a security risk, the Seleka advance is further compromising our access to refugees and internally displaced populations. UNHCR and other humanitarian agencies have been forced to temporarily relocate some staff to Bangui, the capital. Although we still have some staff in place, services for refugees are nonetheless reduced," spokeswoman Fatoumata Lejeune-Kaba said.

She said clashes since December between Seleka forces and the armed forces of the Central African Republic (CAR) had "seriously restricted humanitarian access to some 5,300 refugees and over 175,000 internally displaced persons [IDPs]."

Meanwhile, the number of civilians fleeing to neighbouring DRC has risen to 29,000. Chad has also received some 5,000 refugees since the beginning of the crisis. People continue to cross into southern Chad following the rebel capture of Sido on March 1.

Over the past two months, UNHCR and some of its key partners have conducted evaluation missions to nine of CAR's prefectures. "Most of the internally displaced people we spoke to reported that they were living in fear and insecurity: 88 per cent of community members surveyed told us they do not feel safe," Lejeune-Kaba said.

"In addition, 99 per cent of the 168,000 children who went to school before the crisis are no longer in school. Even more worrying, one in five of the children out of school is believed to have been forcibly recruited by armed groups," she added.

The evaluation missions found that in most cases civilians have extremely limited access to food and basic services because of the combination of continuing armed violence, human rights violations and forced displacement. People are also at risk of physical assault, rape, and looting and extortion. Humanitarian workers are also facing harassment, including theft and looting of their office premises.

"UNHCR reiterates its call to the government and the Seleka rebels to ensure the protection of civilians and to facilitate access for humanitarian aid to people in need," the UNHCR spokeswoman said.

By Djerassem Mbaiorem in Bangui, Central African Republic

International Women’s Day 2013

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 03:01:47 -0800

UNHCR posted a photo:

Fourteen-year-old Malian refugee Aminata takes care of her two-month old daughter Aichatou. She walked from northern Mali to Damba refugee camp in Burkina Faso with her daughter and mother. Aminata's husband is a migrant labourer in Côte d'Ivoire.
UNHCR / H. Caux / July 25, 2012

International Women’s Day 2013

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 03:01:50 -0800

UNHCR posted a photo:

Sudanese refugee Dawa Musa, aged 80, at a transit centre in Maban County, South Sudan. Dawa’s son carried her during the 15 day trek from their home village in Sudan's Blue Nile state to a camp in South Sudan.
UNHCR / B. Sokol / August 2012

UNHCR News Story: Hepatitis E affects thousands, kills 111 in South Sudan refugee camps

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 02:43:45 -0800

UNHCR posted a photo:

An older Sudanese refugee receives medical treatment at a camp in South Sudan.
UNHCR / B. Sokol / August 2012

Hepatitis E affects thousands, kills 111 in South Sudan refugee camps

JUBA, South Sudan, February 15 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Friday said that an outbreak of hepatitis E has affected more than 6,000 people in South Sudan refugee camps since July and added that 111 of them had died.

"The largest number of cases and suspected cases is in the Yusuf Batil camp in Upper Nile state, which accounts for 3,937 cases, or almost 70 per cent of the total, and 77 deaths," said UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards. The camp currently holds more than 37,200 refugees.

Jamam Camp, also in Upper Nile, has recorded 1,320 cases and 25 deaths, followed by the Gendrassa Camp with 577 cases and three deaths. In Doro Camp, 58 cases have been recorded thus far, including two deaths, said Edwards, while noting that Hepatitis E was endemic in the region near the border with Sudan. The figures were compiled by UNHCR, the South Sudanese government and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Samson Paul Baba, a senior government health official, said the Hepatitis E situation was a serious concern for the authorities. "I appeal to all partners to put every effort to contain the outbreak as soon as possible," he said, after visiting the camps in Upper Nile.

Further west, in Unity State, the situation is less dramatic. 125 cases or suspected cases and four deaths have been recorded at the Yida site, which with a population of 65,540 people holds the largest concentration of refugees in South Sudan.

The majority of refugees in camps where the disease is most widespread are from Blue Nile state, an isolated rural area in Sudan where there are few established latrine facilities and uncontaminated water is not readily available. "UNHCR believes the growth in the population due to the refugee influx from Blue Nile could be one of the factors in the rapid spread of the disease," Edwards said.

While there is no treatment or WHO-approved vaccine for Hepatitis E, the risk of being infected can be dramatically reduced by washing hands with soap, especially after using the toilet, drinking clean water, using latrines and avoiding eating uncooked fruits and vegetables. Hepatitis E is a virus that damages the liver and is transmitted by consuming contaminated food or water.

Brendan Dineen, UNHCR's senior public health officer in South Sudan, said the agency was working hard on the problem. "We are not waiting this out, we are trying to deal with it quickly and efficiently," he stressed. "The plan is to focus on control measures," added Claudia Perlongo, a UNHCR water, sanitation and hygiene officer.

Emergency measures are being taken to curb the increase, with about 70 per cent of the 701 latrines under construction in Yusuf Batil completed and the remainder expected to be operating by this weekend. In the Doro Camp region, 65 per cent of the 323 latrines being built in the most affected areas around Jumjum and Ingasana villages have been completed.

Other steps being taken include additional soap distribution at Yusuf Batil comprising 168,000 bars, more than doubling the monthly rate of 250 grammes per month per person. Further soap distributions, especially for washing hands, will continue to be carried out.

Plans are under way to replace about 22,000 10-litre capacity jerrycans – which can become a source of infection if filled with contaminated water. An additional 5,000 buckets are also being shipped to Yusuf Batil and a supplemental borehole is being drilled.

Additional measures include enhanced disease surveillance, water chlorination, and an intensive health and hygiene promotion campaign in markets, schools, and at the household level.

In South Sudan, there are currently almost 113,000 Sudanese refugees in Upper Nile and some 67,000 in Unity State.

By Eduardo Cue in Juba, South Sudan

UNHCR News Story: Stretched UNHCR faces difficulties containing hepatitis E outbreak in South Sudan

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:54:39 -0800

UNHCR posted a photo:

An elderly refugee is given medical care on arrival at a camp in South Sudan. UNHCR is concerned about health problems.
UNHCR / B. Sokol / August 2012

Stretched UNHCR faces difficulties containing hepatitis E outbreak in South Sudan

JUBA, South Sudan, November 9 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency on Friday warned that its capacity to contain an outbreak of hepatitis E among the refugee population in South Sudan was increasingly stretched at a time when funding for its emergency operation was depleted. "The risks will grow if, as currently anticipated, we see fresh inflows of refugees from South Kordofan and Blue Nile states in neighbouring Sudan," spokesman Adrian Edwards added.

Due to insecurity and worsening humanitarian conditions in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, UNHCR staff on the ground expect thousands of new refugees to cross in the next weeks as roads become passable after the rainy season.

UNHCR and its partners, including South Sudan's national health authorities, are already fighting an outbreak of hepatitis E in Upper Nile and Unity states, two regions where the disease is endemic and where 175,000 Sudanese refugees have found shelter.

"We have seen 1,050 cases of hepatitis E in the refugee camps," said Edwards. "To date, 26 refugees have died in camps in Upper Nile. This is 10 more deaths since mid-September," he added. The hepatitis E virus is contracted and spread through consuming contaminated food and water. It damages the liver.

Potentially fatal, the risk of infection is high in densely populated settings such as refugee camps. This is further exacerbated in the rainy season due to flooding and poor sanitation. Women and small children are the most vulnerable.

Early diagnosis is also crucial for the survival of patients. Edwards said UNHCR was working with the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which has sent six staff to test water and blood samples and conduct house-to-house interviews on hygiene practices.

To counter the spread of the disease among the tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees in South Sudan, "We are promoting better hygiene practices through hundreds of trained community workers. In all camps this community outreach exercise includes active case finding," Edwards said.

The refugee agency has also been working to improve the supply of clean water in the camps, as well as upgrade latrines and provide more washing stations and soap.

These measures have helped to slow the spread of the disease. However, UNHCR is struggling to meet the minimum humanitarian standards such as the provision of 15 to 20 litres of safe drinking water per refugee per day or building enough latrines so that each unit is shared by no more than 20 refugees.

Edwards stressed that UNHCR's South Sudan operation is seriously underfunded. "UNHCR needs a minimum of US$20 million until the end of the year to keep up basic life-saving activities. Of our revised appeal for US$186 million, only 40 per cent has been received so far. International NGOs also need additional funding beyond that amount to ensure that all activities can be carried out as needed," he stressed.

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:50 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

Fatima and her year-old granddaughter Aissa in their shelter in Mangaize refugee camp, Niger. The child needs treatment for malnutrition.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 17 October 2012.

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:49 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

Fatima, aged 50, carries her one-year-old granddaughter, Aissa, after visiting the health centre in Mangaize refugee camp, Niger. The girl's mother died of illness in August and the child suffers from acute malnutrition, which is one of the health problems that medics have to deal with in the camp.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 17 October 2012.

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:51 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

One-year-old Aissa turns her big eyes on the camera. She suffers from acute malnutrition. Her grandmother Fatima took her to the health centre in Mangaize for nutritional treatment.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 17 October 2012.

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:45 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

These Malian refugee boys have just collected vital water from a nearby water bladder and are dragging the containers to their family shelters. Each jerry can contains 20 litres of water, a heavy load for the youngsters.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 18 October 2012

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:54 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

A mother waits to receive a nutritional supplement for her malnourished son in the MSF-Switzerland health centre in Tabareybarey camp, Niger. The treatment consists of a peanut-based paste and can be administered at home.
UNHCR / H. Caux / October 18, 2012

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:42 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

Alassane, 39, delivers water to a shop in Niamey’s Zabarkane neighbourhood. From 5:00 am every day, the refugee collects water in 12 jerry cans and delivers it in the neighbourhood. He makes the equivalent of about US$5 a day and sends the money to his family back home.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 12 October 2012.

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:56 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

Urban refugee Mohamed takes his two sisters and brother to a school in the Zabarkane neighbourhood in Niamey every morning. The family left Aguelok, in northern Mali, in early 2012 because of the fighting.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 12 October 2012

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:53 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

Ramatou is weighed and measured at the health centre in Tabareybarey refugee camp.
UNHCR / H. Caux / October 18, 2012

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:47 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

These boys are looking forward to school. Classes are scheduled to begin as soon as new, sturdier classrooms are built.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 17 October 2012

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:43 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

Two young Malian children stand outside the hybrid shelter that has become their new home in Niger’s Tabareybarey camp, which hosts some 8,600 Malian refugees.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 18 October 2012

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:48 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

Fourteen-year-old Zenab, whose family fled fighting in Mali, says her parents support her desire to resume her education, especially her father. “He wants all of his children to study," she says.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 17 October 2012

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:50 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

Fatima and her granddaughter Aissa sit at the entrance to their simple family shelter in Mangaize camp, Niger.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 17 October 2012.

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:57 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

Eight-year-old Mariam arrives at school in Niamey. She left Aguelok with her family last January as fighting erupted throughout northern Mali. Niamey hosts an estimated 6,000 Malian refugees. Most are staying with host families or in makeshift shelters.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 12 October 2012

Malian Refugees in Niger Struggle to Rebuild their Lives

nobody@flickr.com (UNHCR) — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 03:22:55 -0700

UNHCR posted a photo:

Malian refugee boys gather in Tabareybarey camp, Niger, to discuss their concerns with UNHCR staff members. They talked about school and the security situation back in Mali.
UNHCR / H. Caux / 18 October 1012