Wealthy nations are failing to support World Health Organisation appeals for emergency health programmes in countries hit by war, population displacement and natural disaster, according to WHO figures. Five out of 21 appeals issued through the United Nations this year have failed to attract any support and four have achieved less than 10 per cent of the money required. Appeals for Africa are worst hit, with no donors responding to a $200,000 appeal for safe motherhood facilities in Burundi, where 15 women die for every 1,000 live births, and no money is available for vaccines in south Sudan, where 75 per cent of deaths are caused by preventable infectious diseases. Norway has supplied 23 per cent of the money that has been forthcoming, the UK 15 per cent and the US 13 per cent.