Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria—collaboration is needed to mitigate longer terms risks to health

The catastrophic earthquakes that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on 6 February 2023 left a humanitarian crisis in their wake.As of 1 March 2023, the death toll in Turkey has risen to 45 089, and 6000 deaths have been reported in Syria. 1 2 It is likely, however, that the death toll and the extent of the damage will continue to rise-particularly in northwest Syria where search and rescue efforts have been impeded by border restrictions.Much of the immediate devastation is apparent, but without careful mitigation, the people of these two countries will experience more insidious, longer term harms to their health.