Syria and Turkey face "secondary health crises," WHO warned.

(CNN) ⸻ The World Health Organization is scaling up its response in Syria and Turkey due to the potential for a secondary health crisis, such as cholera and respiratory illnesses, due to the disruptions of continuity of care and the capacity to treat ongoing regular health issues. WHO Senior Emergency Officer Dr. Adelheid Marschang said the emphasis in Turkey and Syria is to ensure those that survived the initial disaster continue to survive going forward. Robert Holden, WHO incident manager for the earthquake response, said the priority is to ensure that people have the basic elements to survive this next period.