Press contacts: Press office WHO Regional Office for Europe Email: eupress@who.int Copenhagen, 24 March 2022One month of war has had a devastating impact on Ukraine’s health system, severely restricted access to services, and triggered an urgent need to treat trauma injuries and chronic conditions. Destroyed health infrastructure and disrupted chains of medical supplies now pose…
Since the Ukraine war started on 24 February 2022, over 3 million people have fled the country to neighbouring states, with the majority, mostly women and children, crossing into Poland to seek protection.Many of them are in need of immediate medical assistance, having been deprived of food and water and exposed to freezing temperatures during…
Ever wonder why we don’t eat and drink what is good for us, exercise regularly or follow the advice of public health authorities on getting vaccinated? The new WHO web-based knowledge hub of behavioural and cultural insights (WHO BCI-Hub) provides a one-stop-shop for those interested in the complex question of how our health is impacted…
Olga is a 20-year-old medical student who we met at a makeshift refugee shelter in eastern Poland. A few days ago, she was studying in Kyiv, but is now one of the millions of refugees from Ukraine who have fled because of the Russian military offensive and who is seeking protection in Poland.Following a 20-hour…
Press contacts: Ramy Srour WHO Regional Office for Europe Email: srourr@who.int Alexandra Klidara Ministry of Health of Greece Email: klidara@yahoo.gr Copenhagen/Athens, 21 March 2022Today, the Ministry of Health of Greece and WHO/Europe launched a new programme to support and promote the quality of mental health care of children and adolescents in all 53 countries of…
Jarno Habicht has worked with WHO for the last 19 years and served as WHO Representative (WR) in Ukraine since 2018. He answers questions about WHO’s preparation for armed conflicts in the country and its health-related humanitarian response since the Russian military offensive and war began.What was your experience in Ukraine before the current Russian…
Taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) can help countries fight noncommunicable diseases and make people healthier – but this measure can be more effective if taxes are developed in collaboration between health and finance authorities.This is one of the findings from the new WHO report “Sugar-sweetened beverage taxes in the WHO European Region”, which examines the…
In normal times, Maria Bilovodska runs a successful fashion brand in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. These are not normal times. In the registration centre of Hungary’s Beregsurány border crossing point, Maria looks tired and pale after her long journey. Sitting in a low chair, surrounded by other exhausted-looking families, she is waiting for a bus that…
Press contacts: Bhanu Bhatnagar Press & Media Relations Officer WHO Regional Office for Europe Email: bbhatnagar@who.int Press office: WHO/Europe Press Office Email: eupress@who.int Istanbul, 18 March 2022Amid multiple ongoing humanitarian crises triggered by conflict, natural disasters, and climate change, 3 WHO regional offices brought together governments, civil society including refugee and migrant voices, and health…
As the war in Ukraine intensifies, hundreds of children with cancer have been forced to flee homes and hospital beds all over the country and undertake dangerous journeys in the hope of reconnecting with the treatments they need to survive.Undergoing chemotherapy treatment for a bladder tumour, 8-year-old Leonid was forced to leave a Kyiv hospital…