Up next in 10
We need immediate medical care for earthquake survivors in Myanmar, says WHO spokesperson
2K views
Mar 29, 2025
The death toll from a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar jumped to more than 1,000 on Saturday as more bodies were pulled from the rubble of scores of buildings that collapsed when it struck near the country's second-largest city. World Health Organization spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said, 'Myanmar has been a conflict area for years, and the health system has been weakened. The country may not have all the necessary capacity to deal with this catastrophe.
View Video Transcript
0:00
Well, the death toll from the powerful earthquake has rose sharply this Saturday
0:04
Myanmar's military had previously reported 144 deaths, that figure surging to over 1,000 as more bodies were pulled from the rubble
0:14
It's a figure that might climb. Over 2,300 people were injured, dozens remain missing
0:19
Myanmar also in the throes of a prolonged and bloody civil war
0:23
which has already sparked a massive humanitarian crisis, that are only making movement around the country more difficult and more dangerous
0:32
Now, initial estimates suggest that over 18 million people may be within the impacted area
0:39
For more, we can speak, Tariq Yesarevich, who is a spokesman for the World Health Organization
0:44
He's running us from Geneva. Hello to you, Tariq. Thank you for speaking to Paris Direct
0:48
When you're examining what we've seen so far, the images of collapsed buildings or houses
0:56
What is the most urgent matter at hand for organizations like yours
1:01
Well, what we usually have in these circumstances after the earthquake is people being under the rubble
1:11
So we need to use these first 48 hours to try to find those who are buried under the rubble of a collapsed building
1:22
to make sure that they are provided with medical care. What we have seen and what we are usually seeing
1:29
is lots of fractures, bone fractures. We see lots of head injuries
1:35
We see lots of burns. And we need really that capacity to do trauma interventions
1:43
immediately to those who have been injured. We are receiving reports from hospitals in Noipito and Mandalay, the two cities that have been hit the worst, that hospitals are overburdened, with so far more than 2,000 injured
2:03
But as you have said, the death toll and toll of injured people will likely rise
2:09
So we need to bring medical supplies to those hospitals so health workers can provide that immediate care for those who have been injured The WHO has sent three tons of medical supplies to those hospitals from our central depot in the country in the bigger city Yangon
2:31
We are ready to bring more supplies from our warehouse in Dubai if need be
2:37
The logistics hub there in Dubai. Tariq, this figure, the International Red Cross
2:43
is giving 18 million people in the impacted area. Any idea how much of those are severely impacted, the scope or the scale of the disaster
2:55
It's difficult to say. We really have to, teams have to go really to all affected areas and see what is the impact
3:05
We have seen in the past that unfortunately these figures are rising in the first days after the disaster
3:13
What is really important is to know that Myanmar has been a conflict area, unfortunately, for years, and the health system has been fragile for all these years
3:27
So the country may not have all the necessary capacity to deal with the scale that we are witnessing right now
3:34
So what we are trying to do, besides sending medical supplies and supporting teams on the ground
3:39
is to see if we can bring some outside what we call emergency medical teams
3:45
We have a network of those emergency medical teams that are ready to come in
3:50
Already some 20 teams have expressed interest to come. So we have to work with the local health authorities to see what the needs are and how we can match those needs with existing capacity that could come from outside
4:05
And we are speaking really here about surgical theaters, surgeons to do those really immediate medical interventions, as I have mentioned, fractures, burns, injuries, cuts
4:19
So something that requires immediate life-saving intervention. And I'm curious about the challenges to get those people, that staff and that equipment
4:28
into Myanmar. This is a country where the military junta has previously been very suspicious of outside
4:34
humanitarian assistance. How much harder is that making these relief efforts? Well we understand that authorities have asked for international help And our mandate is really to save as many lives as possible by working with the health authorities in a country to assess the needs and find solutions to those needs
4:55
And again, these first couple of days are essential to save lives of those who have been injured
5:01
But at the same time, we should not forget that many people lost their homes. They may be in collective shelters, and we need to make sure that people have access to medicines for chronic diseases, that pregnant women are taken care of, that we bring medical supplies for all sort of other conditions, including immunization of children
5:25
So it is really to support a health system, as I said, who has already been through difficult times in recent years due to the conflict
5:33
And some of the firsthand accounts we're hearing from rescue workers in Myanmar, that they're digging, they're looking for survivors digging with their hands because of this lack of equipment. Can you give us a timeline, hour by hour, about how long you think we can go until we lose hope of finding more survivors
5:53
Well, you've been hearing in previous disasters these miracle stories of finding people after days
6:01
But again, these 48 hours are really crucial to try to see who is under rubble, who is still alive, get them out and provide immediate medical care
6:12
But not only those who are under rubble. There are people who are being injured and who are accessible
6:17
It's just the question of having right medical staff and right medical supplies to be able to treat when you have lots of people coming to a hospital
6:28
Unfortunately, quite often you don't have enough of enough of capacity to treat all of them at the same time
6:33
And then you have to do this triaging, which is very difficult decision for doctors sometimes to do who to help first
6:40
And therefore, we are looking into bringing additional medical workforce, if it's possible and if it's necessary, to try basically to provide at the same time medical care to all those who need it
6:54
So much of the international attention at the moment on wars in the Middle East and in Europe
7:00
I'm curious about getting all of this help to Myanmar, to Thailand. Are there any logistical challenges in terms of whether there will be a backlog or a bottleneck of getting it into the country and any sort of conflicts that might disrupt the journey there
7:13
Well, unfortunately, we live in a world with many, many conflicts. And we as humanitarians are asked to respond to all these conflicts
7:25
Look what's happening in Gaza, in Sudan, in Yemen and many other places
7:30
with the less and less resources available. But again, we are doing the best we can with what we have
7:39
We have those warehouses. I mentioned one in Dubai where we prepositioned medical supplies
7:45
We are talking about medical kits that are already prepared. And when those kits come to hospital
7:51
those kits have everything that is needed for a certain type of interventions
7:56
So we have those supplies and we will use them in the best possible way. But again, your point is correct, that we need international solidarity to be shown again and again, unfortunately, in conflicts, but also in natural disasters like this one
8:13
And final question, millions of people in the impacted area in the days coming
8:19
What are some of the concerns? Are there going to be certain diseases that could be spread
8:23
Or is there anything that we need to be looking out for? Well, there is certainly a risk of infectious diseases, but again, experience is telling
8:33
us that with the right intervention, this can be avoided. If people are in shelters, if people are in crowded places, we may consider some emergency
8:44
immunization for children against measles or polio. So make sure, really, that there is a water and sanitation facility so we can avoid waterborne diseases, that people are in a sanitary, in hygienic conditions that can prevent skin diseases
9:05
Again, it is a question of having enough of organization, but also enough of resources to make sure if people have to spend a long time outside their homes, waiting for homes to be rebuilt, that we reduce the risk of infectious diseases being spread
9:24
Tariq, thank you for your time. Tariq Yesarevich, joining us from the WHO in Geneva. Thank you
#Accidents & Disasters
#Emergency Services
#news
#Public Health
#Public Safety
#World News