During the evening of 23 July 2018, torrential rain overwhelmed a dam in the south of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. A tsunami-like wave inundated villages and wiped out houses, crops and roads. Continued rains and flooding left some areas accessible only by helicopter. 

From the first hours of the disaster, WHO worked hand in hand with the Lao Ministry of Health and partners to help residents. The Organization focused on supporting local health authorities to coordinate emergency health teams and partners, prevent disease outbreaks, provide mental health services and ensure access to water, sanitation and hygiene. WHO-trained health workers delivered psychological first aid to more than 600 people in just three weeks, helping them to recover from the distress they’d experienced. The Organization also supported a cholera vaccination campaign and delivered supplies including stethoscopes, masks, blood pressure monitors, water purification tablets and chemicals for the removal of disease-carrying mosquitoes.