USAID will provide the WHO with an additional $1.8 million to support healthcare in Ukraine, the funds will be used to improve detection of infectious diseases and strengthen epidemiological surveillance.

As Interfax-Ukraine was informed at the WHO, the decision to allocate funds was made following the meeting of USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman with WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr. Hans Kluge, which took place on August 2.

The funds will be used to strengthen infectious disease surveillance and reporting in Ukraine, with a particular focus on the most vulnerable groups, including people with special needs, living in remote areas and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The funds will in particular be used to improve laboratory diagnostic capabilities for timely detection and reporting of infectious diseases, improve the existing surveillance system through event-based surveillance (EBS) in selected priority regions with a large number of IDPs, and strengthen health information systems providing regular data flow and better monitoring of service availability.

Health should be at the center of humanitarian assistance, as well as a key component of Ukraine's renewal, Kluge said. He added that investing in health now will pay dividends later, when peace finally comes.

In total, since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, USAID has provided the WHO with $15.5 million in critical healthcare support in Ukraine.