Denmark: Crisis counseling for Lebanon refugees

Accordining to Jyllands Posten this is the largest evacuation program since World War II.

Thousands of Danish citizens evacuated from Lebanon need crisis counselling after returning from war-like conditions. Children evacuated from open war in Lebanon will need major crisis counselling upon return to Denmark, posing a challenge to the health care system.

'It will be a new challenge for our health care system and a task that requires comprehensive professional competence,' said Henrik Nielsen, medical coordinator with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 'We have to anticipate that the task will be difficult because we have never had to evacuate so many children at once.'

Nielsen estimated that 40 percent of the 5000 Danes brought home from Lebanon are children.

The State Hospital in Copenhagen has already begun working on a crisis strategy to treat the children who will have scarred souls from seeing the violence break out in conflict between Israeli military forces and Hezbollah militants, reported daily newspaper Urban.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an emotional reaction to deeply shocking or disturbing events. Outbursts of anger and anxiety, even in everyday situation, are common symptoms of the disorder. Children can become intensely frightened by someone speaking loudly, for example.

Thousands of foreign citizens have been evacuated from Lebanon since fighting broke out last week. Some 57,000 foreign residents in the country have been evacuated by planes, busses, and ships.

Source: Jyllands Posten 1, 2 (English)

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