Urinary incontinence in children aged 5 to 12 in an emergency setting: lessons learned in Ethiopia

This scoping study aimed to be the first to explore the number of children aged 5 to 12 in an emergency setting (Tukaley village, Ethiopia) wetting themselves, and demand for support to manage self-wetting in the home. A survey asked 524 children about their latrine behaviours; and 312 adult caregivers about the latrine behaviours of the children aged 5 to 12 they care for. Few adult caregivers (1 per cent) indicated that children were self-wetting during the day and/or night, and only one child indicated self-wetting (during the day). Yet the survey revealed demand from adult caregivers for household items typically used to manage involuntary self-wetting. This could suggest self-wetting is occurring, but there is a reluctance to disclose it. Given the impact of self-wetting on the lives of children and their adult caregivers, it would be unethical for it not to be considered when developing emergency programmes across sectors including the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector. With further research and modifications to the survey, it could provide greater clarity on the number of children self-wetting and the scale of demand for support to inform emergency programme design.

ESTIMACIÓN DEL RIESGO SÍSMICO EN CASTILLA - LA MANCHA PARA LA ELABORACIÓN DEL PLAN ESPECIAL DE EMERGENCIAS

An estimation of the seismic risk in Castilla - La Mancha (Spain) is set forth in the current work, in order to develop the special emergency programme. To carry out the study it has been necessary to define a multidisciplinary group of experts in each involved discipline: geology and tectonics, seismology, architecture, engineering and geographical information systems. The main aim is to develop different seismic risk maps to provide the basis to elaborate the emergency plans in Castilla - La Mancha. These plans must follow the stipulated guidelines in the seismic risk field. A probabilistic methodology is adopted to define the seismic risk, considering this as the human and material losses in presence of the expected seismic event. The seismic hazard of the area of study is evaluated through return periods of 475 and 975 years, equivalents to exceedance probabilities of 10% and 5% in 50 years respectively. These probabilities are proposed in the framework of the Spanish seismic code “Normativa Sismorresistente Española, NCSE-02”, for conventional and special buildings. In a first approach, the study attempt to estimates the expected losses in each city of the overall of Castilla - La Mancha in the presence of the probable movements in 50 and 100 years. The results allow us to make a relative estimation of the seismic risk in different areas, identify those cities which undergo highest damages indexes and which ones would require a more in-depth assessment so as to mitigate the risk. Besides, the results contribute to establish objective priorities to define emergency plans at city scale.http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/CIGeo2017.2017.6670

What we have learnt about the World Health Organization from the Ebola outbreak

The World Health Organization's (WHO) reputation became irrefutably damaged during the Ebola outbreak, with a general consensus in the global health community that it fell short of its leadership responsibilities. This commentary offers a brief synopsis of the WHO's role during the outbreak and suggests that the disease outbreak demonstrates the tension that exists between the organization's normative and operational roles in health crises. While the WHO did offer some normative leadership during the Ebola outbreak, as per its constitution, it did not provide an effective operational response, yet nor did it have a mandate to do so. This division between the normative and operational was further highlighted by the discrepancy between what the global community expects the WHO to do in a health emergency, and what it is able to do with its financial and organizational constraints. Finally, the commentary considers the introduction of the WHO Health Emergency Programme, but suggests that this too may suffer from the same structural concerns that need to be addressed if the WHO is to continue in the role the global health community expects it to play, as both a normative and operational leader in global disease control. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The 2013–2016 West African Ebola epidemic: data, decision-making and disease control’.

A world wide emergency programme for the creation of national genebanks of endangered breeds in animal agriculture

SummaryIn response to the rapid loss of animal genetic resources, a world wide emergency program is proposed to create national genebanks on the basis of somatic cells. Contrary to other procedures, like storing deep frozen semen or embryos, collection and storage of somatic cells can be done cheaply and rapidly for any species. Only in this way can an emergency store of animal genetic resources be created fast enough to forestall the ongoing rapid erosion of animal biodiversity. While animals can already be produced from somatic cells for 10 species, this number will continue to rise in the future. A layered strategy is proposed which is based on collection and storage within individual countries, thus leaving execution of the program, responsibility and ownership of these national cryobanks with those countries. After a pilot study, more country genebanks could be created as funds become available. With a limited effort, the creation of a network of national genebanks of last resort are a realistic option.