The effect of research on COVID-19 and PM2.5 on the localization of humanitarian aid.

The spatiotemporal variation of the death and tested positive cases is poorly understood during the respiratory coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. On the other hand, COVID-19's spread was not significantly slowed by pandemic maps. The aim of this study is to investigate the connection between COVID-19 distribution and airborne PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm). Long-term exposure to high levels of PM2.5 is significantly connected to respiratory diseases in addition to being a potential carrier of viruses. Between April 2020 and March 2021, data on COVID-19-related cases were gathered for all prefectures in Japan. There were 9159, 109,078, and 451,913 cases of COVID-19 that resulted in death, severe illness, and positive tests, respectively. Additionally, we gathered information on PM2.5 from 1119 air quality monitoring stations that were deployed across the 47 prefectures. By using the statistical analysis tools in the Geographical Information System (GIS) software, it was found that the residents of prefectures with high PM2.5 concentrations were the most susceptible to COVID-19. Additionally, the World Health Organization-Air Quality Guidelines (WHO-AQG) relative risk (RR) of 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01-1.08), which was used to compute the PM2.5-caused deaths, was employed as well. Approximately 1716 (95% CI: 429-3,432) cases of PM2.5-related deaths were thought to have occurred throughout the study period. Despite the possibility that the actual numbers of both COVID19 and PM2.5-caused deaths are higher, humanitarian actors could use PM2.5 data to localize the efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Academic Health Centers and Humanitarian Crises: One Health System's Response to Unaccompanied Children at the Border.

University of California Health (UCH) provided a system-wide, rapid response to the humanitarian crisis of unaccompanied children crossing the southern U.S. border in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. In collaboration with multiple federal, state, and local agencies, UCH mobilized a multidisciplinary team to deliver acute general and specialty pediatric care to unaccompanied children at 2 Californian emergency intake sites (EISs). The response, which did not disrupt normal UCH operations, mobilized the capacities of the system and resulted in a safe and developmentally appropriate environment that supported the physical and mental health of migrant children during this traumatic period. The capacities of UCH's 6 academic health centers ensured access to trauma-informed medical care and culturally sensitive psychological and social support. Child life professionals provided access to exercise, play, and entertainment. Overall, 260 physicians, 42 residents and fellows, 4 nurse practitioners participated as treating clinicians and were supported by hundreds of staff across the 2 EISs. Over 5 months and across both EISs, a total of 4,911 children aged 3 to 17 years were cared for. A total of 782 children had COVID-19, most infected before arrival. Most children (3,931) were reunified with family or sponsors. Continuity of care after reunification or placement in a long-term shelter was enhanced by use of an electronic health record. The effort provided an educational experience for residents and fellows with instruction in immigrant health and trauma-informed care. The effort benefitted from UCH's recent experience of providing a system-wide response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lessons learned are reported to encourage the alignment and integration of academic health centers' capacities with federal, state, and local plans to better prepare for and respond to the accelerating need to care for those in the wake of disasters and humanitarian crises.

Teaching Social Marketing Using E-Service Learning Amidst Health and Humanitarian Crises: A Case Study from Lebanon.

We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of an e-service learning course, "Social Marketing for Health Promotion", offered to full-time and part-time students enrolled in the Master of Public Health at our institution. In a quasi-experimental trial, we introduced e-service learning in 2018, comparing a traditional face-to-face section to a blended course (33% online). Based on the positive feedback received, we progressively increased the online component in the following academic years, reaching 100% online in Fall 2020. We compared the quantitative and qualitative indicators evaluating three e-service learning-course iterations with a face-to-face control. The impact indicators included participation and engagement in the course, the attainment of the learning outcomes, satisfaction with the course, instructors and mode of delivery, and the impact of the experience beyond the classroom. Over the years, we trained 73 students whose engagement with the course remained relatively stable. The attainment of the learning outcomes and general course satisfaction steadily increased over time, demonstrating a positive impact on student learning. Qualitative data illustrate the importance of instructors in setting expectations and guiding students and community partners through a remote-learning process.

Achieving access to haemophilia care in low-income and lower-middle-income countries: expanded Humanitarian Aid Program of the World Federation of Hemophilia after 5 years.

Highly effective treatment of haemophilia A and B is primarily available to 15% of the world's population, in high-income countries. In low-income countries (LICs) and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), morbidity and mortality are high because of greatly reduced access to diagnosis, care, and treatment. We report the challenges and impact after the first 5 years (mid-2015-2020) of the expanded World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) Humanitarian Aid Program (HAP). WFH HAP donated coagulation products were used to treat more than 250 000 acute bleeding episodes, manage approximately 4000 surgeries, and establish bleeding preventive prophylaxis in about 2000 patients in 73 countries. Health-care providers worldwide learned optimal management of patients with complex needs through virtual and in-person training. In response to the programme, some governments increased investment in haemophilia care, including independent purchases of small amounts of treatment products. With unparalleled scope and complexity, and substantial benefits to people with haemophilia and society in general, the WFH HAP is an exemplar of partnership between for-profit and not-for-profit organisations advancing health-care equity in LICs and LMICs, which could be replicated by other organisations supporting people with different monogenic diseases.

Humanitarian Medical Aid Mission in the Middle of a Pandemic - Israeli Experience in Equatorial Guinea.

INTRODUCTION: In March 2021, a series of explosions shook a military base in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. As a response to government officials' request, the Israel Defense Forces Medical Corps (IDF-MC) deployed an emergency aid team that faced two major challenges: (1) understanding the scenario, the injury patterns, and the needs of the local medical system; and (2) minimizing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak threats. This report describes the team design, the activities performed before and during the deployment, analyzes the pathology encountered, and shares lessons learned from the mission. SOURCES: Data were collected from the delegation protocols and IDF medical records. All activities of the Israeli delegation were coordinated with the local government. OBSERVATIONS: The local authorities reported that a total of 107 people were killed and more than 700 people were wounded. The team was the first international team to arrive at the scene and assisted the local medical teams to treat 231 patients in the three local hospitals and 213 patients in field clinics in the villages surrounding Bata. The COVID-19 pandemic influenced the operation of this mission, and caution measures were activated. ANALYSIS: Unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS) are a growing problem causing the medical teams to face unique challenges. By understanding the expected challenges, the team was reinforced with a plastic surgeon, portable ultrasound devices, a large amount and a variety of antibiotics, whole blood units, and freeze-dried plasma. Rehabilitation experts were needed in some cases in the week following the injury. An important key for the success of this kind of medical aid delegation is the collaboration with the local medical teams, which enhances patient care.

The utilisation of vaccines in humanitarian crises, 2015-2019: A review of practice.

BACKGROUND: The risk factors that emerge with the onset and protraction of humanitarian crises leave populations at a heightened risk of excess morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). There is currently little clarity on which vaccines are being used in crises throughout the world, and whether vaccination decisions correspond to local disease threats. This review aimed to collect and analyse such information. METHODS: We reviewed vaccination services from January 2015 to June 2019 across all 25 humanitarian responses that had an activated coordination mechanism during this period. A range of online sources and informants within the humanitarian sector were consulted to compile data on which vaccines were provided in each crisis, and the modality and timing of vaccine provision. The package of vaccination services since the start of each crisis was then compared with local disease burden (baseline + excess due to crisis-emergent risk factors). RESULTS: The range of vaccines used in humanitarian crises appears limited. When offered, vaccines were primarily delivered through the pre-existing routine schedule, with few supplementary actions taken in recognition of the need for rapidly enhancing population immunity. Vaccine packages mostly did not address the actual range of VPDs that likely accounted for substantial disease risk. CONCLUSIONS: This review suggests inconsistencies and inequities in vaccine provision to crisis-affected populations. A consistent, standardised and broader approach to vaccine use in crises is needed.

Machine learning and phone data can improve targeting of humanitarian aid.

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated many low- and middle-income countries, causing widespread food insecurity and a sharp decline in living standards1. In response to this crisis, governments and humanitarian organizations worldwide have distributed social assistance to more than 1.5 billion people2. Targeting is a central challenge in administering these programmes: it remains a difficult task to rapidly identify those with the greatest need given available data3,4. Here we show that data from mobile phone networks can improve the targeting of humanitarian assistance. Our approach uses traditional survey data to train machine-learning algorithms to recognize patterns of poverty in mobile phone data; the trained algorithms can then prioritize aid to the poorest mobile subscribers. We evaluate this approach by studying a flagship emergency cash transfer program in Togo, which used these algorithms to disburse millions of US dollars worth of COVID-19 relief aid. Our analysis compares outcomes-including exclusion errors, total social welfare and measures of fairness-under different targeting regimes. Relative to the geographic targeting options considered by the Government of Togo, the machine-learning approach reduces errors of exclusion by 4-21%. Relative to methods requiring a comprehensive social registry (a hypothetical exercise; no such registry exists in Togo), the machine-learning approach increases exclusion errors by 9-35%. These results highlight the potential for new data sources to complement traditional methods for targeting humanitarian assistance, particularly in crisis settings in which traditional data are missing or out of date.

Humanitarian development peace nexus for health profile: Yemen, October 2020

The humanitarian-development-peace nexus (HDPNX) is a new way of working that offers a framework for coherent joined-up planning and implementation of shared priorities between humanitarian development and peacebuilding actors in emergency settings. To advance the HDPNx in a given country a shared foundational understanding of the current situation is needed. However it can be challenging to find such a resource perpetuating poor understanding planning and operationalization. This is one of a series of country profiles that have been developed by WHO to address that need. Each profile provides an overview of health-related nexus efforts in the country and will be updated regularly.