On 15 August 2024, Sweden became the first country outside the African continent to confirm mpox clade Ib in an individual with travel history to central Africa. The confirmation of the case came just one day after WHO’s Director-General declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) for the second time in 2 years, following an upsurge in new and concerning cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and several neighbouring countries, including the emergence of a new strain – called clade Ib – which appears to be more severe than clade II, which has been circulating in the WHO European Region for some time.

Since 7 October 2023, the escalating crisis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory has caused large numbers of civilian deaths and injuries. In Israel, the violence of the Hamas attacks in the south continues to impact the population with ongoing physical and mental trauma.

Since September 2023, WHO has been supporting the Ministry of Health of Armenia with the Armenian refugee health response through the WHO Country Office in Armenia and WHO/Europe.

Heatwaves across Europe are affecting the health and livelihoods of millions of people.Last year in the WHO European Region, extreme heat claimed more than 60 000 lives, and by 2050 this could rise to 120 000 heat-related deaths every year. Climate change is increasing the risk of heatwaves, and extreme heat in the summer months is becoming the norm, not the exception.

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.

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