the UN fears a “devastating” health crisis after the passage of storm Daniel

The UN wants to avoid “a second devastating crisis” after the passage of storm Daniel. On Monday, September 18, UN agencies wanted to prevent the spread of diseases in the totally ravaged Libyan city of Derna. “Local authorities, aid agencies and the WHO team [Organisation mondiale de la santé] are all concerned about the risk of spreading disease, particularly through contaminated water and lack of hygiene.”according to the UN.

The UN Children’s Fund and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) distribute “emergency medical kits to primary care services. They also distribute “basic relief kits, including blankets, plastic sheeting and cooking equipment, to 6,200 displaced families in Derna and Benghazi”.

Food rations were distributed to more than 5,000 households by the World Food Program (WFP) and 28 tonnes of medical supplies were shipped on a WHO chartered flight. As for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), it supported “460 families with non-food items and another 4,000 families in Benghazi with medicines”. More than 3,000 people have died and thousands more are still missing after Storm Daniel.