Humanitarian Crises and Forced Displacement

David Mabey: Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Martin W. Weber: Affiliation:
World Health Organization
Moffat Nyirenda: Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Dorothy Yeboah-Manu: Affiliation:
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana
Jackson Orem: Affiliation:
Uganda Cancer Institute, Kampala
Laura Benjamin: Affiliation:
University College London
Michael Marks: Affiliation:
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Nicholas A. Feasey: Affiliation:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

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Summary

Crises, including natural or man-made disasters and complex emergencies, are a source of significant morbidity and mortality in low- and middle-income countries, including on the African continent. This chapter aims to present an approach to understanding and mitigating the health impacts of crises, whether those impacts are direct, through illness, injury or death, or indirect, due to forced displacement, loss of livelihoods, loss of health-care infrastructure or otherwise. This chapter outlines key definitions relevant to humanitarian crises and forced displacement and proposes a rights-based approach to priority setting and programming for humanitarian assistance in these contexts (Box 3.1).

Type: Chapter
Information: Principles of Medicine in Africa , pp. 44 - 56

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009052733.004 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

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