Search is Powered by Google
Follow us on:
Follow our health news on Twitter
Follow Our News on Facebook
Personalization
login | register
Aid / Disasters News

Ethiopia Caught In The Middle Of Horn Of Africa Emergency

Main Category: Aid / Disasters
Article Date: 23 Sep 2008 - 2:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
<A HREF="http://www.mlclick.com/mlcl.php?aid=3934233BD2D210B4366019BE49DC8759" target="_blank"><IMG SRC="http://www.mlclick.com/mltr.php?aid=3934233BD2D210B4366019BE49DC8759&b=2" WIDTH="300" HEIGHT="250" BORDER="0" alt="Doctors, nurses and people like you responding to crises, sustaining hope - IMC You can help. Click Here."></A>


Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:not yet rated

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) appealed for US$460 million to feed 9.6 million hungry people affected by drought and high food prices in Ethiopia through to March next year.

"The Horn of Africa region is facing the worst humanitarian crisis since 1984, and Ethiopia is caught in the middle," said WFP Executive Director, Josette Sheeran. "We know what needs to be done - we just need the funds to go out and do our job, protecting the hungry."

Around a quarter of those in need - some 2 million people - live in the arid Somali Region of Ethiopia where it has not rained for three years. Pastoralist communities in the region have already lost half of their cattle herds. People are skipping meals and parents are pulling children out of school so that they can help to beg in towns or scour the countryside for food.

"Millions of people are in extreme distress and urgently need food and nutrition," said Sheeran.

WFP is facing a similar humanitarian challenge in neighbouring Somalia, where 3.25 million people - almost half the population - have been affected by drought, high food prices and conflict.

Ninety percent of WFP's food deliveries to Somalia arrive by sea, but attacks by pirates are disrupting supply lines and discouraging ship owners from making the journey. A Canadian naval vessel that has been escorting ships carrying humanitarian aid will withdraw its support on 27 September, and no nation has yet volunteered to take over this protective role.

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency and the UN's frontline agency for hunger solutions. This year, WFP plans to feed around 90 million people in 80 countries.

WFP




Personalized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Hemophilia Opioid Induced Constipation Pneumococcal Disease ADHD Anxiety Asthma Atrial Fibrillation Autism Cancer Diabetes Lung Cancer Lupus Medicare / Medicaid Obesity and BMI Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells All 'What Is...' Articles

Ophthalmology Urology
About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Links Contact Us

add medical news today to your facebook
medical news gadget

Please fill in our survey

Swine Flu Image

Swine Flu Updates

- Latest Swine Flu News
- What is Swine Flu?
- Map Of H1N1 Outbreaks
- Swine Flu - Top 20 FAQ
- Daily Email News Alerts
Stick with Medical News Today for the latest news updates on swine flu.


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
What Is Typhoid Fever? What Is Typhoid?
09 Jul 2009
Typhoid fever is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Salmonella typhi. It is also known as enteric fever, or commonly just typhoid. Typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever are clinically indistinguishable diseases...


Keeping Seniors Safe in the Heat
Keeping Seniors Safe in the Heat

Keeping cool this summer means avoiding heat stroke, the most serious heat-related illness, and heat exhaustion, a milder affliction but still a dangerous one. Older people are especially vulnerable to both.

more videos are available in our health videos section.