WHO Seeks $1 Billion For Global Health Emergencies: All About These Diseases With Critical Impact

Cholera outbreaks, measles resurgences, malaria spikes, untreated trauma injuries, and large-scale malnutrition, these are not isolated events but interconnected public health failures unfolding across countries that the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified as the world's most severe health emergencies in 2026. On 3 February 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its 2026 Health Emergency Appeal, urging donors to commit US $1 billion to sustain lifesaving health operations in 36 of the world's most severe emergencies. Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted that a quarter of a billion people now live amid crises that have stripped away access to basic services like healthcare, shelter and safety. WHO warned that rising conflict, displacement and disease outbreaks threaten to overwhelm fragile health systems, making coordinated international action critical. 

These emergencies encompass disease outbreaks, conflict settings and humanitarian crises where WHO plays a vital role in disease prevention, treatment, surveillance and health system support. The appeal prioritises interventions that save lives, prevent outbreaks and maintain essential health services, with a focus on scaling local partnerships and country leadership. (World Health Organization) According to the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, nearly 250 million people are currently living in humanitarian settings where access to essential health services has collapsed, allowing preventable and treatable diseases to surge unchecked. Conflict, climate disasters, forced displacement, and fragile health systems have created ideal conditions for infectious diseases, maternal and child deaths, and untreated chronic illnesses to escalate into full-blown emergencies.

"These crises are no longer defined by one disease or one disaster," said WHO Health Emergencies Chief Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, noting that outbreaks now overlap with hunger, war injuries, and collapsing vaccination coverage. The result is a deadly cycle where diseases once under control are returning at scale.

But what are these global health emergencies, and where does India stand in terms of containing or eliminating them?

1. Cholera And Waterborne Diseases

Cholera remains one of the fastest-spreading killers in humanitarian settings, particularly in Sudan, Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and parts of the Middle East. WHO aims to reduce cholera deaths by 90% by 2030, primarily through clean water access, oral cholera vaccines, and rapid treatment units. India has eliminated large cholera outbreaks but remains vulnerable during floods and displacement events, according to the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP).

2. Measles And Vaccine-Preventable Diseases

Measles outbreaks are surging in conflict zones where immunisation coverage has dropped below 80%, including Afghanistan, Somalia, and parts of Africa. WHO's goal is measles elimination through restored routine vaccination and outbreak response campaigns. India achieved a historic reduction in measles-rubella cases but continues catch-up vaccination drives under Mission Indradhanush.

3. Malaria, Dengue And Climate-Sensitive Diseases

Climate shocks and disrupted vector control have driven malaria deaths upward in sub-Saharan Africa, while dengue outbreaks affect Asia and Latin America. WHO targets malaria elimination in 35 countries by 2030. India has reduced malaria cases by over 80% since 2015, but dengue and chikungunya remain seasonal threats.

4. Acute Malnutrition And Child Mortality

Severe wasting is a primary driver of child deaths in Gaza, Yemen, Sudan, and the Sahel region. WHO focuses on therapeutic feeding, maternal nutrition, and disease prevention. India continues to battle child undernutrition but has scaled nutrition interventions through POSHAN Abhiyaan.

5. Conflict-Related Trauma And Mental Health

In Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti, injuries, untreated infections, maternal deaths, and psychological trauma now outweigh infectious disease deaths. WHO prioritises emergency surgical care, trauma kits, and mental health services.

India contributes medical aid and disaster response expertise through global humanitarian missions.

The global health emergencies flagged by WHO are driven not by rare pathogens, but by the breakdown of basic healthcare delivery. Diseases that are preventable, treatable, and in some cases eliminable continue to claim lives when health systems collapse. For India, the lesson is clear. Strong surveillance, vaccination, nutrition, and primary care are not just domestic priorities, they are global safeguards.

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