Ukraine has had high cases of HIV and hepatitis C infections prior to the current conflict with Russia, with more than 250,000 living with the HIV virus from sharing contaminated needles. Ukraine and the surrounding region are the epicenters of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis in the world. It also has dangerously low vaccination rates against measles, polio, and COVID-19; leaving about 20 percent of Ukrainian children unprotected from polio and measles infections.
The current conflict has increased the public health risks of cholera and other diarrheal diseases, due to overcrowded and unsanitary living conditions in refugee camps. Although progress has been made since 2010 with a 21 percent decrease in HIV infections and a 36 percent drop in TB diagnoses, the conflict is creating delays in diagnosis and treatment and may be reversing previous accomplishments.
Furthermore, infrastructure damages in health facilities impacted not only treatments for infectious diseases but also chronic diseases. There have been 64 attacks on 1000 health care facilities in or near the conflict zones, resulting in dwindling medical supplies and a shortage of lifesaving equipment.
Read the article on Ukraine’s public health catastrophe here