GENEVA, Switzerland – The WHO Situation Report #1 on the Ukraine emergency for the period February 24 to March 3, 2022, has been published. It includes event highlights, a situation update, and World Health Organization (WHO) actions to date.
Priority public health concerns
- Conflict-related trauma and injuries exacerbated by lack of access to health facilities by patients and health staff due to insecurity and lack of access to lifesaving medicine and supplies.
- Excess morbidity and death from common illnesses due to disruption in services such as non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer etc.) and acute maternal, newborn and child illnesses.
- Spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, measles, polio, TB, HIV and diarrheal diseases due to widespread destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, inadequate vaccination coverage, lack of access to medicines and medical care, safe water, adequate sanitation and hygiene as well as population movements and crowding.
- Mental health and psychosocial health – due to significant stress due to acute conflict and two years of COVID-19.
WHO actions
- Coordinating the health response in support of the ministry of health in Ukraine and surrounding countries.
- Conducting public health risk and health facility and service assessments.
- Scaling-up surveillance and health information to detect and respond to outbreaks early and to better understand health needs, health threats, and the functionality and availability of health services.
- Providing WHO technical support and surge staff to manage the priority health concerns as well as mobilizing partners through Emergency Medical Teams (EMT), the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and the Global Health Cluster, among others.
- Providing health supplies and logistic capacity to deliver medicines, diagnostics and preventive supplies.
- Monitoring attacks on health care.
- Ensuring the safety and security of WHO staff and our implementing partners.
Also see Public Health Situation Analysis (PHSA) Ukraine, March 3, 2022.
