Washington, May 28 (IANS) The United States has mobilised more than $112 million in bilateral foreign assistance in less than two weeks to combat the fast-spreading Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the State Department said on Thursday.The announcement came as US health officials warned that the outbreak remained “rapidly evolving and fluid”, while insisting that the current risk to the United States remained low.The State Department said it had finali…
Latest OCHA News & Updates
United Nations, May 22 (IANS) The aid community in Sudan, amid insecurity and access challenges, is fighting to contain outbreaks of dengue fever, mpox and suspected cholera cases, UN humanitarians said.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that in the El Nuhud area of West Kordofan state, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are responding to a suspected outbreak of acute watery diarrhea, commonly associated with cholera. More than 100 suspected …
United Nations, May 14 (IANS) UN humanitarians have reported an alarming escalation of armed violence since Sunday in a neighbourhood in Haiti’s Port-au-Prince metropolitan area.The violence in Cite Soleil has forced more than 5,300 people to flee their homes. More than half of them have sought shelter in 12 sites, while many others are being hosted by already overstretched communities, said the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Wednesday (local time), citing figur…
Gaza, May 5 (IANS) Humanitarians are warning of the lack of prosthetic and rehabilitation care in Gaza for amputees, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said. The OCHA on Monday (local time) said its partners reported that more than 6,600 amputees, one in five a child, need prosthetic and rehabilitation care, including thousands newly amputated since October 2023. Yet only eight prosthetic technicians are available to respond.”With severe shortages of specialist…
United Nations, April 18 (IANS) Following the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire, thousands of the 1.2 million people displaced in southern Lebanon are returning home despite warnings of unexploded ordnance, UN humanitarians said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Friday (local time) said its partners reported that displaced families are starting to return to Beirut’s southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, including parts of Nabatieh and Tyre.However, OCHA warned that ri…
United Nations, March 31 (IANS) Amid Middle East hostilities, UN humanitarians pointed to a sharp rise in attacks on healthcare in Lebanon and growing obstacles for humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said attacks on healthcare facilities, ambulances and medical personnel in Lebanon have risen at an alarming rate.The World Health Organization (WHO) reported seven incidents over the weekend alone, which killed at least nine h…
United Nations, March 11 (IANS) Fuel shortages in Cuba have triggered a humanitarian crisis with the island nation’s health system approaching a critical point, a UN spokesman said.”We remain deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation, driven by the inability to import fuel,” said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.”This has triggered an energy crisis.”The world body is engaging with member states, including the United States, so aid can be deliv…
United Nations, March 6 (IANS) An alarming intensification of fighting in Sudan’s Kordofan region has killed and injured civilians, destroyed homes, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, UN humanitarians said.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the escalation of violence also impeded relief workers’ ability to reach civilians in need of aid.The office said that in South Kordofan, confrontations between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forc…
Antananarivo, Feb 16 (IANS) The death toll from Cyclone Gezani in Madagascar has risen to 59, with 804 people injured, according to an update released Monday by the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management (BNGRC). The BNGRC said more than 420,000 people were affected across 25 districts in five regions in eastern and central Madagascar. The cyclone also damaged more than 49,000 houses and destroyed over 25,000 houses.Authorities are continuing to assess damage and carry out relief opera…
Kabul, Feb 10 (IANS) The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has stated that the economic conditions of Afghan women remain fragile, with limited access to jobs and income opportunities, deteriorating household vulnerabilities in Afghanistan, local media reported on Tuesday. The report released on Tuesday has revealed that 75 per cent of Afghans face difficulty in meeting daily needs, while 88 per cent of female-headed households do not have access to minimum living requirements, showcas…