Health emergency and disaster risk management framework

Overview

Emergencies and disasters take a profound toll on people’s health, often well after the headlines fade.

Every year, over 170 million people will be affected by conflict, and another 190 million by disasters; yet the full impact on people’s health is far greater than this. Some will be large national, regional or even global crises, from cyclones and drought to major outbreaks. Others will be more localized, like traffic collisions and fires, but can still be devastating in their collective costs to human life.

Too often these events set back development – sometimes for decades – and jeopardize universal health coverage along with other development agendas of a country. They shatter the aspirations of children and adults, and the communities they live in or call home. They can overwhelm health systems and decimate the economies that fund them.