On 6 February 2023, a series of massive earthquakes struck south-eastern Türkiye near the border with the Syrian Arab Republic. These and hundreds of aftershocks caused significant destruction on each side of the border, claiming thousands of lives across both countries and damaging or destroying essential infrastructure, including health facilities.

WHO is working closely with its offices in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, as well as partners, to rapidly respond to the health emergency triggered by the conflict and to minimize disruptions to the delivery of critical health-care services.

Mpox disease is caused by a virus of the same name and is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.An atypical outbreak of mpox was declared in the WHO European Region in May 2022, following reports of a number of cases across several Member States not linked to countries where the disease is endemic.

The global disease outbreak of COVID-19 was first reported to WHO on 31 December 2019.

Years of conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic have resulted in hundreds of thousands of people being injured or ill or killed, vast movements of population, and infrastructure, including hospitals, being extensively damaged.