WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTÉ
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC BUREAU RÉGIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL
REGIONAL COMMITTEE Sixty-second session Manila, Philippines 10–14 October 2011 Agenda item 17
WPR/RC62/13 Rev.1 3 October 2011 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
EMERGENCIES AND DISASTERS The Western Pacific Region is prone to health security threats, including emerging diseases, food safety incidents, and emergencies and natural disasters. Health security events can threaten developing and developed countries. Devastating natural disasters occurred in Japan and New Zealand in 2011, resulting in enormous loss of life, serious damage, and the destruction of health infrastructure and health systems. On 22 February 2011, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand’s South Island, claiming 181 lives and causing widespread damage in Christchurch, the country’s second-largest city. The disaster provided important lessons, including the role of community preparedness, response and recovery, as well as the need for health service planning for vulnerable populations. Less than a month later, on 11 March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident in Japan left an estimated 19 800 dead and missing. The disaster presented the first major challenge for the Regional Office’s new Division of Health Security and Emergencies (DSE). The Division immediately established an around-theclock Event Management Group and activated the Emergency Operations Centre. The DSE common operational platform, which integrated monitoring and response functions in the Division’s three technical units, proved to be effective in the Japan earthquake response. The recent disasters clearly demonstrated the continuing need for strengthening health sector capacities in both developing and developed countries. The Regional Committee is invited to note this report and discuss the lessons learnt from the response to recent disasters in the Region.
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1. CURRENT SITUATION
The Western Pacific Region is prone to health security threats, including emerging diseases, food safety incidents, and emergencies and natural disasters. Health security events are not confined to developing countries. Devastating natural disasters occurred in Japan and New Zealand in 2011, resulting in enormous loss of life and serious damage and destruction to health infrastructure and health systems. Effective preparedness and response are required in both developing and developed countries to minimize the impact of disasters. 1.1 The Western Pacific Region is prone to health security events The Western Pacific Region is at the epicenter of health security threats, including disasters. The Region is the largest of the six WHO regions and experiences the greatest number of natural disasters and emergencies. Australia, China, the Philippines and Viet Nam ranked among the top 10 countries affected by disasters in 2010. Asia, including parts of the WHO South-East Asia Region, and Oceania accounted for roughly 86% of all deaths from disasters associated with natural hazards in 2010. Health security events occurred in both developing and developed countries, such as the massive earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand in 2011. 1.2 WHO preparedness for emergency response Health security is one of four priority areas of work for the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific. A new Division of Health Security and Emergencies (DSE) was created in August 2010 to meet the need for managing health security events more efficiently and effectively, including situation monitoring and effective emergency response. A common operational platform that integrated monitoring and response functions of the three technical units in DSE had been developed and was proven to be effective in the Japan earthquake response. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific has taken the steps to strengthen its monitoring and response capacity for emergencies and disasters, while the programme responsible for disaster risk management in WHO Headquarters is more focused on developing policies and guidelines. 1.3 Christchurch earthquake in New Zealand On 22 February 2011, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck the Canterbury region on New Zealand’s South Island. The earthquake caused widespread damage across Christchurch, especially in the centre of the city and the eastern suburbs. A total of 181 people were killed, making the earthquake the second-deadliest natural disaster recorded in New Zealand. Nationals from more
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than 20 countries were among the victims. Many buildings and much infrastructure were damaged or affected, including Christchurch Hospital. The economic impact was huge. The New Zealand Government declared a state of national emergency, which remained in force until 30 April 2011. Immediately following the earthquake, a full emergency management structure was mobilized, with national coordination operating from the National Crisis Management Centre in Wellington and a regional emergency operations command centre operating in the Canterbury region. The Government’s response was immediate and significant, with multiple departments and ministries involved, including the Canterbury District Health Board and the Ministry of Health. The Ministry's National Health Coordination Centre served as a national Emergency Operations Centre to coordinate and support the health response to the disaster. International assistance was also provided to support the regional and national response to the disaster. The long-term disaster recovery effort began one month following the event, with the creation of the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority. The response in New Zealand clearly demonstrated the value of government investments over the years in developing a health emergency response system with a well-coordinated command and control structure. There were a number of lessons learnt from the disaster, including the important role of communities in disaster preparedness, response and recovery and the need for health service planning for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and patients with chronic diseases and complex medical needs. New Zealand is currently working with WHO in facilitating the sharing of lessons learnt on safe hospital design and possible collaborative research into preparedness and recovery. 1.4 Japan triple disasters—earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident On 11 March 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in the Tohoku region of Japan triggered an unprecedented tsunami that rocked more than 600 kilometres of coastline from Aomori to Chiba prefectures. The natural disaster caused a nuclear accident in Fukushima. The damage and impact due to this triple disaster were of unprecedented proportions. An estimated 19 800 people were reported dead or missing. In some areas the local disaster command centre was destroyed and frontline health workers fell victim. In a month, the Fukushima nuclear accident was raised to Level 7, the highest ranking on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The response to this massive disaster at each level has been complex and challenging. The health response to the tsunami-affected Tohoku region—including health concerns about radiation exposure related to the nuclear accident—has been a vital component of the disaster response. Following the earthquake and tsunami, rapid and regular assessments were conducted to assess the
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health situation, health service needs (such as medical services, mental health and psychosocial support), risk of communicable disease outbreaks, and other acute public health threats, such as food safety events. The Japan disaster was the first major challenge for the WHO Regional Office’s new Division of Health Security and Emergencies (DSE). Immediately after the earthquake occurred on 11 March, an Event Management Group was established and an around-the-clock Emergency Operations Centre was activated in the Regional Office to collect information, monitor the situation, conduct risk assessments and coordinate response operations. The response to the Japan event involved all of DSE’s three technical units: emerging disease surveillance and response (ESR); emergency and humanitarian action (EHA); and food safety (FOS). In serving as a common operational platform for emergency response, DSE also mobilized support from other relevant technical programmes, including mental health, noncommunicable diseases and health systems development. Situation monitoring and information sharing were critical during this event. Following the official notification on 12 March of the explosion event at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant through Japan’s National Focal Point for the International Health Regulations (IHR), WHO immediately communicated with all Member States in the Region through the National IHR Focal Points. Since then, updated information and data have been shared through both IHR and the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN).
2. ISSUES
The Western Pacific Region continues to face a wide range of emergencies and disasters including earthquakes, typhoons, floods and landslides. While progress has been made to improve national health emergency and disaster management systems and capacities in general, a number of issues remain. 2.1 Strengthening effective mechanisms for documenting, disseminating and applying lessons A number of significant disaster events have occurred in recent years in the Western Pacific Region. Much experience has been gained and lessons learnt from various events, especially the recent massive earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand. While many affected countries have made efforts to review past experiences and to build on lessons learnt to further improve national health emergency and disaster management systems, there is a lack of effective mechanisms to document,
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disseminate and apply important lessons learnt as part of a larger effort to upgrade health sector preparedness and recovery among countries in the Region. 2.2 Paying more attention to recovery and reconstruction Progress has been made in improving emergency and disaster preparedness and response in recent years, including the establishment of a disaster management structure, the development of disaster response plans, and the training of health emergency and disaster response personnel. Less attention has been paid to address long-term recovery and reconstruction following major disaster events. 2.3 Continuing disaster risk reduction and preparedness efforts A number of countries have taken actions to reduce health risks due to disasters through safe hospitals initiatives, which aim to improve the ability of hospitals to remain functional in the event of disasters. Continuing efforts are needed to strengthen disaster risk reduction activities, especially promoting safe hospitals. Meanwhile, recent disasters clearly demonstrate that certain natural disasters can occur in unexpected ways. There is the need for continuing preparedness for emergency and disaster response to protect the more than 1.8 billion people of the Western Pacific Region.
3. ACTIONS PROPOSED
The Regional Committee is invited to note this report and discuss the issues associated with the strengthening of mechanisms for documentation and dissemination of lessons learnt from disaster response in the Region, as well as emergency preparedness, and the enhancement of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction.