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On 26 April 1986 the world witnessed the most serious nuclear accident in history. The Chernobyl disaster was a human tragedy, resulting in large-scale displacement of populations, the contamination of vast areas of land, and the loss of livelihoods. The people affected by the accident were confronted with situations they could not understand and against which they had no means of defense. The mental trauma suffered by those who had to be evacuated compounded an already intolerable situation as many experienced the severing of links with their home and social networks. In the first decade after the accident involvement of the World Health Organization (WHO) was facilitated thanks to the support of the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation, as well as contributions from the Governments of Japan, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Switzerland. Within the framework of the WHO International Programme on the Health Effects of the Chernobyl Accident (IPHECA), WHO carried out a number of health projects between 1991 and 1996, aimed at providing assistance to Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine to minimize medical consequences of this disaster.
In commemoration of the accident's 20th anniversary a WHO report entitled Health Effects of the Chernobyl Accident and Special Health Care Programmes (2006) was produced as a result of a series of expert meetings. In addition, a WHO fact sheet summarizes the main health effects of the accident as outlined in the report. IAEA report A parallel report entitled Environmental Consequences of the Chernobyl Accident and Their Remediation: Twenty Years of Experience has been published by the IAEA. Full text Digest Report The Chernobyl Forum's Digest Report is a summary of three technical reports done by the WHO, IAEA and UNDP. UN issues landmark health report on Chernobyl: excess cancer cases, deaths18 April 2006 – Some 5,000 people who were children and adolescents at the time of the world’s worst-ever civil nuclear accident at Chernobyl, Ukraine, have so far been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, and there may be up to 9,000 excess cancer deaths, according to a new United Nations study, the most comprehensive scientific report so far on the health impact of the disaster. As the world prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the accident on April 26, the landmark report issued the UN World Health Organization (WHO) recommends renewed efforts to provide the public and key professionals with accurate information about the health impact as part of the efforts to revitalize the people and areas affected. “As we work to rebuild futures, we must not forget the families of those who died as a result of the accident, and those who continue to suffer the consequences of radiation exposure and the severe disruption of their lives,” WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook said of the report, which covers contaminated regions in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, home to more than 5 million people. “The WHO report on the health effects of Chernobyl gives the most affected countries, and their people, the information they need to be able to make vital public health decisions as they continue to rebuild their communities. WHO is supporting these efforts.” The agency is continuing its efforts to improve health care for affected populations through the establishment of telemedicine and educational programmes, and supporting research. After the accident 116,000 people were evacuated from the area. An additional 230,000 people were relocated from the highly contaminated areas in subsequent years. Relocation proved a deeply traumatic experience because of disruption to social networks and the impossibility of returning home. For many people, there has been a social stigma associated with being an “exposed person,” the report notes. Those who were affected came to be labelled as “Chernobyl victims.” Despite government compensation and benefits for evacuees and residents, some people perceive themselves as victims rather than survivors, with limited control over their own futures. Many of these people have demonstrated higher anxiety levels, multiple unexplained physical symptoms and subjective poor health compared to non-exposed populations.
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