Cherlin

Tsunami editorial in The Lancet

One world, one response--needed, but not yet forthcoming

Introducing a series on complex emergencies in The Lancet less than two months ago, we noted that Jan Egeland, the UN's emergency relief coordinator on disaster reduction, was frustrated by the lack of attention being given to natural disasters by the international community. Now no longer, one presumes...

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Well worth reading in full. It catalogs the responders (countries, NGOs, UN agencies, the public) and the ways in which they are not able to cooperate for lack of communications and of advance planning. Also,

08 January 2005
The Lancet today issues a call for papers describing experiences of health workers in countries affected by the south-Asian tsunami. We want to publish descriptions of the conditions in which medical and public-health interventions are being delivered, the challenges faced by relief workers, and reports of the health predicaments confronting local communities. These papers might range from preliminary evaluations of responses to aid, to descriptive essays; from case reports, to photojournalism.
Please contact: richard.horton@lancet.com