Table 1

Is this an emergency? [24]

Agency

Assumed baseline

Emergency threshold

Centres for Disease Control, Medecins Sans Frontiers Epicentre

Fixed at:

CMR: 0.5 per 10,000 per day

Under 5 MR: 1 per 10,000 per day

Emergency if:

CMR: >1 per 10,000 per day

Under 5 MR: >2 per 10,000 per day

UNHCR

Fixed at:

CMR: 0.5 per 10,000 per day

Under 5 MR: 1 per 10,000 per day

Definitions*:

CMR: >1 per 10,000 per day 'very serious'

CMR: >2 per 10,000 per day 'out of control'

CMR: >5 per 10,000 per day 'major catastrophe'

* Double each count for <5 MR

Sphere project

Context specific CMR (<5 MR)

Sub-Saharan Africa: 0.44 (1.14)

Latin America: 0.16 (0.19)

South Asia: 0.25 (0.59)

Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union: 0.30 (0.20)

Emergency if: CMR (<5 MR)

Sub-Saharan Africa: 0.9 (2.3)

Latin America: 0.3 (0.4)

South Asia: 0.5 (1.2)

Eastern Europe, Former Soviet Union: 0.6 (0.4)

Definitions for emergency status thresholds

Mills et al. Conflict and Health 2008 2:9   doi:10.1186/1752-1505-2-9