HistoryMatters

The International Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross Red Crescent response to emergencies. The DREF is a vital part of the International Federation’s disaster response system and increases the ability of national societies to respond to disasters.

Summary: CHF 55,247 (USD 45,609 or EUR 35,437) was allocated from the Federation’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 16 June 2006 to support the Namibia Red Cross Society following an outbreak of polio.

The Namibia Red Cross Society assisted the government-led immunization campaign, which was carried out over three months and attained more than 90% coverage.

The National Society efforts focused on social mobilization and immunization. A community-based surveillance system was established, and training provided to community volunteers on case identification and referral. Monitoring at both national and community level was thus reinforced.

As a result of these concerted efforts, the last confirmed case of polio was reported on 26 June 2006.

The situation

On 2 June 2006, the Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) reported an outbreak of polio. The causative organism was determined to be the poliovirus one wild type.

Namibia had been polio-free since 2001, but may have been re-infected with an imported virus in 2005. At least 13 regions were affected by the outbreak, and a total of 301 cases reported – of which 281 cases of acute flaccid paralysis and 20 confirmed cases of the wild polio virus.

As a result of the outbreak, the MoHSS conducted polio immunization campaigns in three rounds, during the months of June, July and August 2006. The first two campaigns focused on all age groups, while the last targeted children under five and included measles vaccinations and vitamin A supplements.

The Namibia Red Cross Society (NRCS) supported the government’s immunization efforts through community mobilization, as well as by providing logistical and technical support to the immunization campaign. The DREF allocation enabled the National Society to scale-up its activities, by providing additional transport, human resources and covering related costs (i.e. fuel).

NRCS worked in close collaboration with the UN partners, such as the WHO and UNICEF, in support of the MoHSS. As of 26 June 2006, no new case of polio has been reported and the outbreak was deemed to have been contained within Namibia.

How we work

All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable.

The International Federation’s activities are aligned with its Global Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity".
Global Agenda Goals:

- Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters.
- Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and public health emergencies.
- Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability.
- Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote respect for diversity and human dignity.

Contact information

For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
In Namibia: Dorkas Kapembe-Haiduwa; Secretary General, Email secgen@redcross.org.na; Phone: Tel: +264.61.235.216; Fax: 264.61.228.949
In Southern Africa Zone: Françoise Le Goff, Head of Zone Office, Johannesburg; Email francoise.legoff@ifrc.org; Phone: Tel: +27.11.303.9700; +27.11.303.9711; Fax: +27.11.884.3809; +27.11.884.0230
In South Africa Zone: Disaster Management Department: Farid Aiywar; Email farid.aiywar@ifrc.org; Phone: Mobile: +27.83.440.0564 Tel: +27.11.303.9700; +27.11.303.9721; Fax: +27.11.884.3809; +27.11.884.0230
In Geneva: John Roche, Operations Coordinator, Email: john.roche@ifrc.org; Phone: +41.22.730.4400, Fax: +41.22.733.03.95

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