An environment in which a significant proportion of the population is acutely vulnerable to death, disease and disruption of livelihoods over a prolonged period of time is considered a protracted public health emergency.

Currently, WHO South-East Region is responding to two protracted emergencies including Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. The Emergency Operations unit of WHE provides operational support to WHO Country Offices for delivering essential health services to the affected populations.

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh:

Persecuted Rohingya refugees have been trickling into Bangladesh since 2015. Following massive scale violence unleashed on in Myanmar over 960 000 the Rohingya came to Cox’s Bazar area. Currently, it is estimated that Cox’s Bazaar houses 1.5 million people including the host population.

WHO has been supporting the Rohingya refugee response in Cox’s Bazar through sustained field presence including setting up of a sub-office since 2017. The scope and expanse of WHO’s response has been scaled up based on needs and following regular assessments and reviews. 

WHO co-leads the Health Sector coordination working closely with the national authorities and national and international partners. WHO continues to support delivery of essential health service to the refugee and host population through strengthened public health care system. WHO continues to support emergency preparedness and response; outbreak surveillance including setting up of laboratory network; risk communication and community engagement; and infection prevention and control. 

Regular operational reviews are conducted to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of WHO’s operations. Good practices and gaps are identified with recommendations being made for further improvement such as closer technical collaboration with WHO country office. More

Myanmar:  Myanmar has a long-standing and concerning humanitarian situation with significant impact on physical, mental, and social well-being of people. Ethnic conflicts have continued in Rakhine, Kachin and later in northern Shan within Myanmar since 2011-12. The military take-over in 2021 has led to massive civil disobedience and subsequently, armed conflict and an ongoing humanitarian emergency. The continually evolving dynamics within the country has impacted health services delivery significantly. An estimated 18·6 million people are in need of urgent protection and humanitarian aid, including 6 million children.

WHO continues to respond to the essential health care needs of the affected people across the country with focus on the vulnerable internally displaced persons. Essential health services related to maternal and child health, mental health and psychosocial support, communicable and non-communicable disease control and immunization are being supported. WHO has responded to natural disasters like the recent cyclone Mocha and disease outbreaks including diphtheria, measles and acute watery diarrhoea among communities. WHO continues to maintain field presence for supporting local communities and continues to ensure supply of critical health commodities and other logistics.