Environmental health in emergencies

Emergencies, conflicts, and disasters happen frequently, including natural disasters, chemical or radiological incidents, complex emergencies, and deliberate events. A substantial fraction of the disease burden derived from these events is attributable to environmental risk factors.

WHO aims to strengthen capacity in countries, particularly developing countries and those in economic transition, to deal with environmental health issues in emergencies. In addition, WHO provides support to countries during emergencies when needed.

This site presents relevant information regarding the main environmental risks to health during emergencies, presented in the following categories:

:: Natural events :: Chemical incidents :: Radionuclear incidents :: Complex emergencies :: Deliberate events :: Disease outbreaks

:: Poisoning :: Vulnerable groups :: Displaced people :: Medical aspects :: Health care facilities

This site also addresses the different phases of the disaster management cycle for environmental health emergencies:

:: Prevention :: Preparedness :: Event

:: Detection :: Response :: Recovery

In addition, information is available here on: