In collaboration with the health ministries of Albania and Macedonia, the World Health Organization (WHO) last month launched disease surveillance systems and immunization programs to aid tens of thousands of Albanian refugees who are being forced from their homes in the Kosovo province of Yugoslavia.
"I have committed WHO to play a full role in the international and United Nations response to this ongoing crisis in the Balkans," said Gro Harlem Brundtland, MD, MPH, director-general of WHO.
Immediate needs in Albania focused on measles and polio vaccinations for children. Health ministers were attempting to streamline procedures for importing donated medications. WHO officials also listed priority areas in water and sanitation, women's and children's health, and mental health.
Plans included establishment of mental health counseling services with Albanian-speaking volunteers; expansion of an existing training program on child and adolescent mental health for primary health care workers to cover crisis . . . [Full Text of this Article]
