WHO works with Member States to build resilient and proactive health systems that can anticipate the needs and challenges during emergencies so that they are more likely to reduce risks and respond effectively when needed.

The magnitude of the physical and human costs from volcanoes can be reduced if adequate emergency prevention, preparedness, response and recovery measures are implemented in a sustainable and timely manner. This includes, ensuring early warning systems are in place, evaluating the population, and raises awareness about the risks of volcanic activities.

Wildfires or forest fires can have significant impact on mortality and morbidity depending on the size, speed and proximity to the fire, and whether the population has advanced warning to evacuate.

Wildfire smoke is a mixture of air pollutants of which particulate matter is the principal public health threat.

The magnitude of the physical and human costs from wildfires can be reduced if adequate emergency prevention, preparedness, response and recovery measures are implemented in a sustainable and timely manner. 

WHO works with Member States to build resilient and proactive health systems that can anticipate the needs and challenges during emergencies so that they are more likely to reduce risks and respond effectively when needed. 

Yellow fever infections can cause serious illness and can be fatal in severe cases. Early supportive treatment in hospitals improves survival rates. There is currently no specific anti-viral drug for yellow fever but specific care to treat dehydration, fever, and liver and kidney failure improves outcomes. Associated bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics. Patients need to stay under mosquito nets during the day to limit the risk of spread to others through bites of mosquitoes.

There is currently no vaccine for yaws. Health education and improved personal hygiene are the most important tactics for prevention.

ellow fever can present with a wide range of symptoms and severity. Once contracted, the yellow fever virus incubates in the body for 3–6 days. Many people do not experience symptoms, but when these do occur, the most common are fever, muscle pain with prominent backache, headache, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting. In most cases, symptoms disappear after 3–4 days.

The incubation period (the time from exposure to symptoms) of Zika virus disease is estimated to be 3–14 days. The majority of people infected with Zika virus do not develop symptoms.

Symptoms are generally mild including fever, rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise, and headache, and usually last for 2–7 days.

Complications of Zika virus disease

Rabies is a viral zoonotic disease that causes progressive and fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord. Clinically, it has two forms: 

1. Furious rabies – characterized by hyperactivity and hallucinations.
2. Paralytic rabies – characterized by paralysis and coma.

No vaccine or specific treatment is currently available, although several MERS-CoV specific vaccines and treatments are in development. Treatment is supportive and based on the patient’s clinical condition.

As a general precaution, anyone visiting farms, markets, barns, or other places where dromedary camels and other animals are present should practice general hygiene measures, including regular hand washing before and after touching animals and avoiding contact with sick animals.

Monkeypox virus is an orthopoxvirus that causes a disease with symptoms similar, but less severe, to smallpox. While smallpox was eradicated in 1980, monkeypox continues to occur in countries of Central and West Africa. 

Monkeypox is a zoonosis: a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans. Cases are often found close to tropical rainforests where there are animals that carry the virus. Evidence of monkeypox virus infection has been found in animals including squirrels, Gambian poached rats, dormice, different species of monkeys and others. 

Mycetoma is characterized by a triad of painless ‎subcutaneous mass, multiple sinuses and discharge ‎containing grains. It usually ‎spreads to involve the skin, deep structures and bone resulting in ‎destruction, ‎deformity and loss of function, which may be fatal. ‎Mycetoma commonly ‎involves the extremities, back and gluteal region.‎

The treatment depends on the causative organisms for the bacterial causes; it is a long term antibiotics combination whereas for the fungal type, treatment requires combined antifungals drugs and surgery. The treatment is unsatisfactory, has many side effects, is expensive and not available in most endemic areas.

To ensure every child survives and thrives to reach their full potential, we must focus on improving care around the time of birth and the first week of life.

Regular physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, maintain healthy body weight and can improve mental health, quality of life and well-being. 

Physical activity refers to all movement. Popular ways to be active include walking, cycling, wheeling, sports, active recreation and play, and can be done at any level of skill and for enjoyment by everybody. 

Plague is an infectious disease caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria, usually found in small mammals and their fleas. The disease is transmitted between animals via their fleas and, as it is a zoonotic bacterium, it can also transmit from animals to humans.

Humans can be contaminated by the bite of infected fleas, through direct contact with infected materials, or by inhalation. Plague can be a very severe disease in people, particularly in its septicaemic and pneumonic forms, with a case-fatality ratio of 30% - 100% if left untreated.