WHO Warns Ukraine Conflict Creating ‘Worst Possible’ Conditions for Spread of Infectious Disease

The UN’s health watchdog has warned of worsening health conditions in Ukraine amid ongoing fighting with Russian forces, saying the war could help to spread infectious diseases ranging from Covid to the measles.

“The reality is that the conditions we see in Ukraine are the worst possible ingredients for the amplification and spread of infectious disease,” Dr. Mike Ryan, the director of the World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Program, said on Wednesday, adding: “It doesn't matter if it’s Covid, doesn’t matter if it’s polio, doesn’t matter if it’s measles, doesn’t matter if it’s cholera.”

During the same briefing, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “the only real solution to this situation is peace,” calling on Moscow “to commit to a peaceful resolution to this crisis and to allow safe, unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance for those in need.” He noted that the organization had verified some 18 health facilities damaged in the fighting.