The first-ever meeting of the Pan-European Mental Health Coalition, a new network of organizations and individuals aiming to transform mental health systems across the WHO European Region, gathered to discuss ways to support the mental health of people in Ukraine.The meeting, held on 4–5 May, kicked off with an hour-long briefing led by WHO experts…
Johan von Schreeb is Professor of Global Disaster Medicine in the Department of Global Public Health at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, and leads the Centre for Research on Health Care in Disasters, a WHO collaborating centre that runs courses in global disaster medicine. Most recently, he has been rolling out mass casualty training in…
As climate change is projected to significantly increase people’s exposure to heatwaves, and European weather services are expecting summers to be warmer and drier, WHO/Europe calls on countries to take measures to avoid adverse health impacts.In the past 50 years, almost 150 000 people in the WHO European Region lost their lives due to extreme…
Statement by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for EuropeKyiv, 17 May 2022Good evening, Ukraine.I’d like to begin by expressing my immense appreciation and admiration for the health workers of this country, who have shown tremendous bravery and dedication since the war began. You have done the impossible: you stand firm and save…
“My father was my supporter, my friend and my role model. I remember when I was at university, I was having a bit of a hard time and my dad – as he always did – came to comfort and reassure me. This was emblematic of the relationship we had as father and son.”Lobby Akinnola…
“When the explosions first went off on 24 February, I turned up the volume of my children’s TV cartoons, so that they wouldn’t hear the noise. I was very much in doubt whether to stay or leave, but as a medical surgical nurse, I quickly realized that my skills were needed here. So, I stayed.”Tetiana…
A grim milestone has passed as reported confirmed COVID-19 deaths from countries in the WHO European Region have exceeded 2 million people. While this number is devastating, it represents a fraction of the overall deaths directly and indirectly associated with COVID-19, as WHO’s report on excess mortality during the pandemic has shown.While case numbers are declining…
WHO/Europe has launched a new document, providing support to countries that wish to set up a unit for behavioural insights (BI) in health. The document provides guidance on key considerations, ranging from the location of a unit and staffing, to ensuring impact and sustainability.The document was developed based on extensive consultation with experts who have…
In March 2020, Miranda Edge, aged 24, had only been qualified as a staff nurse for 6 months when she learned that the post-surgical ward she worked on in the West Midlands, United Kingdom, was to become a COVID-19 ward.While the world slowly took stock of the spread and severity of COVID-19, Miranda was confronted…
“When I first saw a refugee patient, I felt the ground slipping from under my feet. I had very mixed emotions. On the one hand I wanted to scream in pain, but at the same time, I knew I had to concentrate, because my patient needed me.”This is how Maria Roșca, a family nurse in…