SECTOR OVERVIEW
Populations affected by natural disasters and complex emergencies experience diverse public health impacts, often complicated by population displacement and the disruption of basic services. Supporting a wide range of health interventions, including life-saving medical assistance, immunization campaigns, disease surveillance systems, vector-control activities, and capacity-building trainings for national health workers, USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) remains at the forefront of the humanitarian community’s efforts to mitigate mortality and morbidity during crises. Recognizing the inextricable link between health and other core humanitarian sectors, particularly nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), USAID/OFDA supports integrated programs to simultaneously address multiple determinants of poor health in emergencies. USAID/OFDA provided approximately $95 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 funding to help mitigate and prevent the health impacts of natural and manmade crises. Assistance included nearly $90 million for health interventions in 15 countries and more than $4.5 million for global and regional health initiatives.
