As many as 3 million Ukrainians will likely be displaced this winter, World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement.

"This winter will be life threatening for millions of people in Ukraine," he said, adding that "we expect 2–3 million more people to leave their homes in search of warmth and safety. They will face unique health challenges, including respiratory infections such as COVID-19, pneumonia and influenza, and the serious risk of diphtheria and measles in under-vaccinated populations."  

Kluge said that with temperatures predicted to plummet to as low as minus-20 degrees and with half of the nation's energy infrastructure damaged or destroyed, "desperate families [will] try to stay warm [and] many will be forced to turn to alternative heating methods, like burning charcoal or wood, or using generators fueled by diesel, or electric heaters."

Kluge said that "these bring health risks, including exposure to toxic substances that are harmful for children, older people, and those with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, as well as accidental burns and injuries." 

Kluge added that Ukraine’s health system is facing “its darkest days in the war so far" due to "continued attacks on health and energy infrastructure."

Kluge said that means "hundreds of hospitals and healthcare facilities are no longer fully operational — lacking fuel, water and electricity to meet basic needs.”

These shortages, Kluge said, include a lack of incubators for maternity wards, refrigerators for blood banks and ventilators for intensive care beds.

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