Russian offensive in Ukraine causes worsening health crisis

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has entered the third week and the latter country, apart from being hit by deadly attacks daily, is also hit by a worsening health crisis.

According to the United Nations (UN), over three million Ukrainians have fled the war-torn country since February 24 and more than 690 people have died.

The Russian bombardments have caused severe damages to Ukraine’s health infrastructure- the destruction of hospitals and health facilities, very limited access to medical supplies among others. Many cities in Ukraine are also facing scarcity of food and drinking water.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently said that 300 health facilities are along the conflict front lines in Ukraine, or in areas now under Russian control, adding another 600 facilities are within 10 kilometres of the conflict line.

The UN health agency also warned of an unprecedented rate of attacks on Ukraine’s health system.

Ukraine, which was just coming off from a worsening Covid-19 situation fuelled by the Omicron variant, may again see a rapid spread of the virus as people who have not yet fled the country are cramped up in huge numbers in basements, bunkers and subway stations to protect themselves from being hit by Russian airstrikes.

According to a report published in Nature on Tuesday, Covid-19 testing in Ukraine has seen a decline since February 24.

The vaccination rates are also at a very low level and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government paused a three-week campaign to inoculate nearly 140,000 children, the above report said.

Besides Covid-19, there is also a high risk of polio, measles, tuberculosis, diarrhoea and HIV/AIDS.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a public-private partnership based in Geneva, warned that the ongoing war has impacted polio surveillance and the virus might be spreading undetected.

A nationwide polio immunisation campaign to inoculate 100,000 children has been halted since February 24.

Amid a shortage of clean drinking water, diarrhoea is likely to spread at a very high rate in Ukraine.

When it comes to HIV, the UN agency for HIV/AIDS had said at the beginning of March less than a month’s worth of drugs for patients were left in Ukraine.

“People living with HIV in Ukraine only have a few weeks of antiretroviral therapy remaining with them, and without continuous access, their lives are at risk,” UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima said.

Before the war, 250,000 people had HIV in Ukraine, making it the second-worst affected country in Europe.

Ukraine also has high rates of TB globally, with 30,000 new cases every year. Government authorities previously said that TB clinics across Ukraine remained open and patients were given a month-long supply of drugs in case the situation escalates.

However, experts have said interruptions in treatment or diagnosis can drive up the wider transmission as well as put patients’ lives at risk.