The United Nations has granted about 2 million U.S. dollars from its newly launched standing emergency fund to the World Health Organization (WHO) to quickly boost programs to stem suffering and death in drought-hit Horn of Africa.

A statement from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the grant would enable WHO to strengthen immunization campaigns augment disease surveillance and train more health professionals in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

"When we think of life-saving aid, vaccinations are often the first thing that comes to mind. In major emergencies such as the drought now affecting East Africa, diseases that cost less than one dollar to prevent, kill," said Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Margareta Wahlstrom in a statement received here Saturday.

She said the 1.7 million dollars grant, the second to be allocated from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) will see the individual disbursements per country amount to 70,000 dollars for Djibouti, 450,000 dollars for Eritrea, 350,000 dollars for Ethiopia, 430,000 dollars for Kenya, and 404,540 dollars for Somalia.

"Immediate funding for immunizations and surveillance will help us prevent unnecessary deaths," said Wahlstrom.

OCHA said that the allocation of CERF funds for WHO's projects in East Africa is part of the global response to the drought, the worst in decades, which has effected 7.5 million people in an area where 18 million are already chronically undernourished while decimating livestock herds.

"Additional CERF disbursements for East Africa are currently under consideration. The United Nations will launch a consolidated appeal for emergency humanitarian funding for the drought-stricken region on April 7 in Nairobi," the statement said.

As of its March 9 launch, 36 donors had pledged 256 million dollars to the CERF, a key reform of UN relief sought by Secretary- General Kofi Annan and endorsed by the 2005 World Summit to ensure swifter responses to humanitarian emergencies, with adequate funds made available within three to four days as opposed to up to four months or more under current arrangements.

The first CERF grant, 200,000 dollars for the WHO in Cote d' Ivoire, is being used to provide emergency health and sanitation assistance in that country.

Source: Xinhua