This is a new edition, with new and more extensive content, new contributors and new search options.

Two years ago PAHO/WHO produced the first edition of the Virtual Disaster Library on CD-ROM -the most complete electronic information tool for disaster reduction. The first edition has been substantially enlarged and enhanced.

What's new in this collection?

The latest Virtual Health Library for Disasters incorporates the works of many new partner organizations and consequently offers a much broader variety of information. The Virtual Health Library for Disasters is now truly a global collection. It is the result of a process of consultation and exchange among the disaster and emergency programs of WHO and PAHO, all WHO technical divisions, other United Nations agencies such as UNHCR, UNICEF, the ISDR, the International Committee for the Red Cross, Project SPHERE, NGOs such as OXFAM and national organizations such as Costa Rica's National Emergency Commission.

Thanks to support from these organizations, the new Virtual Disaster Library contains more than 400 scientific and technical documents including the most important works published by these agencies on disasters and emergencies.

It also has an easy-to-use powerful and improved search engine that allows searching by topics, country, keyword, title, publisher or any other word.

The new library offers all documents in HTML and many in PDF format.

Discover the large variety of topics related to emergencies and disasters

• Public health in emergencies and disasters: principles and guidelines
• Emergency preparedness and response
• Disaster mitigation
• Human rights and humanitarian legislation
• Health of refugees and displaced population
• Environmental health and chemical products
• Communicable diseases
• Parasitic and vector-borne diseases
• Food and nutrition
• Reproductive Health, child health and immunization
• Mental health
• Management of supplies and essential drugs
• Management of war-wounded and injuries

Also on CD-ROM

In addition to being available on the Internet, free of charge worldwide, the collection is on CD-ROM to facilitate its use, especially in areas where the access to Internet is still limited. The CD-ROM is distributed primarily in developing countries through institutions where a single copy can be used by groups.

We welcome your comments

This is an open and dynamic collection. It will be evaluated, duplicated and updated in the future. The best way to improve this collection is by receiving your opinion.

We appreciate your comments. For more information or to receive a copy of the CD-ROM, contact:

Emergency Preparedness Program
Pan American Health Organization
525 Twenty-third Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037, U.S.A.
Tel: 202-974-3522; Fax: 202-775-4578
disaster-publications@paho.org
http://www.paho.org/disasters /

Department of Emergency and Humanitarian Action
Sustainable Development and Healthy Environments
World Health Organization
20 Avenue Appia CH 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland
eha@who.ch
http://www.who.int/eha/disasters

On the Internet at:

Health Library for Disasters