For this reason, alongside official statistics, less scientific, but extremely relevant indicators are carefully observed, such as the increase in the number of funerals. The inability to take charge of a large number of serious cases makes it essential to invest maximum efforts in prevention<\/strong>: from the spread of correct hygiene and health practices<\/strong> to the isolation of suspected cases. This is what INTERSOS medical teams<\/strong>, engaged with mobile clinics and supporting local health facilities, have been doing since the beginning of the emergency.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In countries affected by humanitarian crises, the side effects of the pandemic, those not directly related to the spread of the virus, can have a devastating impact. The suffering of health facilities is likely to facilitate the epidemic spread of other diseases, such as dengue, cholera and malaria.<\/strong> Due to the limitations on the movement of people and goods, especially in areas that largely depend on humanitarian aid, there is a generalized increase in food insecurity.<\/strong> The isolation and interruption of school programs affects the safety of women and children<\/strong>, more easily exposed to abuse and psychological trauma. For this reason, the holistic approach to protection that characterizes INTERSOS programs remains central in responding to this emergency.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n International calls for a ceasefire in conflict areas have been largely overlooked. Despite unilateral declarations and attempts at respite, in all areas of conflict in which INTERSOS operates, fightings have continued<\/strong> and, in some cases, such as in the area of \u200b\u200bLake Chad, northern Iraq and Afghanistan, armed groups have seized the opportunity of the pandemic to intensify their activity.<\/strong> Despite the clashes and pandemic prevention measures have limited humanitarian access to people in need, all INTERSOS missions immediately activated extraordinary measures to ensure the continuity of humanitarian action, while ensuring full staff safety, both local and international.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n INTERSOS response to the coronavirus emergency immediately moved in two directions:\u00a0ensuring\u00a0the continuity of ongoing humanitarian projects<\/strong>\u00a0and identifying\u00a0new specific interventions<\/strong>\u00a0to support the\u00a0response to the pandemic<\/strong>. In particular, the new interventions follow two objectives: the control of the pandemic (interventions for\u00a0prevention and support to local health systems<\/strong>); the response to the secondary effects of the emergency (protection interventions and support to the living conditions of people affected by humanitarian crises). The ongoing interventions in the areas of\u00a0health, access to water and hygiene<\/strong>\u00a0(WASH \u2013 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and protection have been adapted to the new conditions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the African continent, in\u00a0Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Libya<\/strong>, ongoing protection monitoring and case management interventions have included awareness raising activities and information on pandemic, training of staff and local communities, distribution of hygiene kits.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Central African Republic<\/strong>, a project dedicated to access to water and hygiene in the prefecture of Ouham and a project dedicated to the improvement of general living conditions (housing conditions, hygiene, access to primary goods) in the displaced camps of Batangafo have been launched.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Nigeria<\/strong>, prevention activities are accompanied by a strong commitment by INTERSOS in the primary health sector. The activities of the primary health centers and clinics supported by INTERSOS in Borno State have included new initiatives for training of health personnel, health surveillance, triage, waste management and safe management of linen, environmental decontamination and risk communication to patients. INTERSOS participates in the national\u00a0referral<\/em>\u00a0system of critical cases: an ambulance has been dedicated to the transport of suspect cases to the medical centers of Magumeri and Bama. Areas of isolation and treatment of suspect cases have been identified in all the healthcare facilities where we are present.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Somalia<\/strong>, INTERSOS has been supporting Jowhar hospital in the Middle-Shabelle region for 27 years. Here too, preventive measures have been introduced for health personnel and patients, specific training for health workers, and identification of triage paths and of isolation areas, while projects for access to water and to hygiene have been strengthened and extended in other areas of the country.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the Middle East, all protection programs have been strengthened and adapted. In particular, in Lebanon<\/strong>, INTERSOS is engaged in the identification and restructuring of over 30 isolation areas dedicated to Syrian refugees who live in informal settlements present in many areas of the country, in the distribution of hygiene kits, in support of Syrian refugee families in difficulty due to the economic and employment crisis accentuated by the pandemic. Attention to pandemic prevention among Syrian refugees also characterizes the emergency adaptation of INTERSOS projects in\u00a0Greece<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Jordan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Syria<\/strong>, INTERSOS collaborates in the strategy defined by Syrian Arab Red Crescent in the areas of prevention and control of the spread of the virus and of case management, guaranteeing the adaptation and preparation of local health structures and distributing essential health material and medicines.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Iraq<\/strong>, INTERSOS supports 10 health facilities in the Ninewa governorate. The activities already carried out concern the training of local health personnel, the distribution of health materials and medicines, and the information of patients and participants in other protection activities promoted by our organization.<\/p>\n Finally, in\u00a0Afghanistan<\/strong>, our mobile medical teams engaged in difficult-to-access rural areas, have focused attention on the spread of respiratory diseases and on the information of local communities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The COVID-19 pandemic involved all the countries in which INTERSOS operates, accentuating the needs determined by the already existing humanitarian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":95565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[660,678],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-95564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-covid-19","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSecondary effects of the pandemic<\/h4>\n
Wars don’t stay at home<\/h4>\n
INTERSOS’ response<\/h4>\n
The ongoing activities in our Missions<\/h4>\n
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