WHO makes contingency plans for possible “chemical attacks” in Ukraine

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe said on Thursday that the team is preparing for possible “chemical attacks” in Ukraine.

“Given the uncertainties of the current situation, there are no guarantees that the war will not get worse,” Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, said in a statement sent to journalists in Lviv.

“WHO is considering all scenarios and making contingencies for different situations that could afflict the people of Ukraine, from the ongoing treatment of mass casualties to chemical attacks,” he said, without providing further details.

Western officials have expressed fears that Russia could use chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine, with risks of spillovers beyond the country, but no evidence has been offered.

The Russian Defense Ministry, in turn, accused Kiev, also without evidence, of planning a chemical attack against its own people in order to accuse Moscow of using chemical weapons in the invasion.

Asked directly about a possible Russian chemical attack against Ukraine, Kluge said: “The short answer is that the WHO is preparing for any eventuality within our mandate.”

Attacks on hospitals ‘take away hope’, says WHO member

A WHO database showed that there had been 91 attacks on Ukraine’s health infrastructure, resulting in 73 deaths since the invasion began. It is not known who was responsible.

Doctors Without Borders witnessed a hospital bombing this week. Jarno Habicht, head of the WHO’s Ukraine office, said this took away the hope of the population, “because hospitals and health facilities are the places where people go to be treated and cured.”

Papowitz said he expected more deaths from diseases that would normally be easy to treat, such as pneumonia and diarrhea in children.

Kluge also said the WHO was coordinating with the European Union to screen patients arriving from Ukraine, as well as providing treatment within Europe.