By Agencies
GENEVA —
THE International Monetary Fund has approved a new 10-month Staff-Monitored Programme (SMP) for Zimbabwe, in a major endorsement of the country’s economic reform agenda and macroeconomic stabilisation efforts.
Acute and sustained health threats persist across affected countries, driven by large-scale displacement, overcrowding in collective shelters, and widespread disruption of essential services.
In Lebanon, although some have returned home, over one million people remain displaced, with heightened risk of communicable disease outbreaks, including acute watery diarrhoeal disease and cholera, as water, sanitation and hygiene systems are compromised.
Trauma-related injuries, interruptions to life-sustaining care for noncommunicable diseases, and constrained access to essential medicines continue to represent the most immediate and consequential health risks.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, up to 8.8 million people are at risk of falling into poverty, including over 5 million in the Islamic Republic of Iran, with projected economic losses reaching as high as US$299 billion.
Reduced cargo availability is constraining medical supply chains.
Reports indicate some reduced production of pharmaceutical and medical commodities due to fuel and petrochemical constraints.
WHO continues to work with national authorities and partners to support continuity of life-saving services and strengthen preparedness and response planning.
The WHO Global Logistics Hub in Dubai continues to facilitate the movement of approximately 100 metric tonnes of essential health supplies per week, valued at around US$1 million, to support humanitarian health operations.
WHO remains concerned about the risk of damage to civilian infrastructure, including healthcare facilities and water systems such as desalination plants, which would significantly compound public health threats.
