WHO: Refugees in Europe need good medical care

A top U.N. health official says refugees sleeping outdoors or in cold shelters “are more prone to suffer from hypothermia, frostbite” and other health problems.

Zsuzsanna Jakab, head of European branch of the World Health Organization, said refugees should be given heated shelters, warm meals and proper clothing but also influenza vaccines.

In a statement Thursday she urged health authorities in Europe to make sure to detect and treat the migrants' cold-related diseases as winter approaches.

WHOs European Region, based in Copenhagen, encompasses 53 countries, including former Soviet republics.

[AP]