PAHO - Pan American Health Organization

Published purpose

November 1, 2011 - Since the first week of October, large parts of Central America have experienced torrential rains, leading to severe flooding and landslides in several countries. As of 26 October 2011, the number of affected people in El Salvador is approximately 300,000, while some reports indicate that this number could eventually reach 1 million. Government agencies have reported that flooding has impacted 181 of the country's 262 municipalities, has lead to 35 deaths, and displaced approximately 60,000 into 638 evacuation shelters across the country. Further, 2,000 square kilometres of land have been flooded, equivalent to 10% of the entire national territory, while there has been significant damage reported to the country's transportation, health, water, and sanitation infrastructure. With CIDA support, World Health Organization/Pan American Health Organization will work to ensure access to life-saving primary and secondary health care services for populations affected by the floods and landslides in El Salvador. Specific activities include: the provision and distribution of medicines and medical supplies to community health centres; reinforcing the capacity of the primary health care services in affected communities; the detection and prevention of outbreaks of communicable diseases; and, the continuity of access to primary health care for affected populations.