Delivering Health Safety Information to Typhoon Yagi Affected Ethnic Minority Communities

Across northern Vietnam, communities are recovering from the devastating impact of Typhoon Yagi. As the strongest storm to hit Vietnam in three decades, the typhoon and ensuing floods and landslides, have killed and injured hundreds of people and destroyed homes, schools, healthcare facilities and critical infrastructure.

Although efforts to rebuild and restore services are underway, communities are currently facing ongoing safety threats. Extensive infrastructure damage and flooding poses health risks to community members from infectious, food-borne, mosquito-borne and in particular water-borne diseases, including diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid. In many of these affected and high-risk areas, live ethnic minority groups, with some community members, especially older people, only able to speak their own local language.

To help protect community health in all impacted areas, and as part of ongoing WHO support for government response efforts, WHO with assistance from USAID, has arranged the development, translation and broadcasting of critical health safety messages in multiple local languages.

With many communities experiencing standing flood water, interruptions to water supplies and contaminated food and water, these messages are highlighting safety information about reducing the risk of food poisoning, safe drinking water, sanitation, disease prevention and flood water dangers.

Currently in partnership with Voice of Viet Nam, the Ministry of Health and local authorities, these community messages are being broadcast in five languages: Vietnamese, Thai, H’Mong, Tay and Nung, to communities in Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Son La, Dien Bien, Hoa Binh, Quang Ninh, Cao Bang, Bac Can, and Lang Son.

Ensuring health communications is informed, targeted and collaborative is a key focus of WHO’s Communication for Health (C4H) approach. 

(WHO)