Disease burden to increase, infectious disease incidence to grow due to war in Ukraine – WHO Country Office in Ukraine

19:05, 07.11.2023 1 min read

The disease burden will increase and the incidence of some infectious diseases will grow, Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine Jarno Habicht has said.

"One of what we see is that we will see increase in disease burden. […] And also we need support for chronic diseases, non-communicable diseases. So, the disease burden is increasing and continuously, every day the war continues. That is also putting more and more civilians at risk," he said in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency.

Habicht also said the risks of specific diseases, including rabies, cholera, polio, measles, and diphtheria should be considered in some regions of the country.

"So overall, we need to be ready for various communicable diseases but it varies also in different regions," he said.

Habicht recalled that Ukraine has "millions of people in need of mental health support."

"And this is not only now but also for the generations to come," he said.