Vaccine preventable diseases and immunization during humanitarian emergencies: challenges and lessons learned from...

The last few years have seen the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region suffer from multiple wars and conflicts leading to humanitarian emergencies of unprecedented magnitude. In addition to the many lives lost and affected, the conflicts have significantly impacted the infrastructure needed for delivery of healthcare services. Approximately 30 million people have fled their countries; the refugee population in Jordan has doubled and even tripled in Lebanon. The population displacement and resettlement, overcrowding, poverty, poor sanitation, and malnutrition due to food shortages have increased morbidity and mortality from various diseases, notably communicable diseases.