Title : The threat to the world health due to the war in Ukraine
Abstract:
Many historical epidemics have been associated with natural or manmade disasters. Military events cause the spread of infections. This has been known for thousands of years. There are many scientific papers that emphasize the need for early action on the center of possible spread of infection.
One of the medical problems during hostilities is the spread of infections, including parenteral infections. Blood transfusions, injuries, surgical interventions — all these factors contribute to an increase in the number of Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV), Hepatitis D (HDV), Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
5% of the population is infected with the HCV and 1.5% with HBV in Ukraine. 9,397 people started treatment for viral hepatitis in Ukraine in the first half of 2021 according to information from the regions. For comparison, while in the first half of 2022 just only 4,423 people did. This can be explained by the beginning of war in Ukraine. An important problem is that only 7% of people are being treated for hepatitis C in 2021, due to the low diagnostic rate of this disease. This situation worsened in 2022 due to the destruction of important infrastructure in Ukraine.
The full-scale invasion of Russia on the territory of Ukraine negatively affected access to medical services, including treatment for viral hepatitis. A huge number of the Ukrainian men and women went to the front as volunteers-soldiers without much thought about their health due to enemy's rapid invasion.
Using of weapons of mass destruction by Russian army, caused a large number of injuries and blood loss. However, the conditions in which you have to fight and provide first aid are quite difficult, especially on the front lines and particularly during winter. A significant number of Ukrainian families who have left Ukraine is an important route for spreading infections all over the world.
The hepatitis B vaccination rate in Ukraine is about 65%. Most of the vaccinated are children.
The appearance of a large number of mutations of hepatitis viruses, as well as species resistance to treatment, contributes to a decrease in the effectiveness of treatment.
Preventing the spread of parenteral viral infections around the world is an important task for scientists. The conditions that will affect the epidemiological situation in the world are the following. Maximum vaccination of the population of Ukraine with hepatitis B vaccine (first of all, it is imperative to vaccinate doctors). Improve the study of parenteral viral infections by creating grants for Ukrainian scientists and scientific institutions. To help Ukraine in the purchase of high-precision and express diagnostics for the detection of dangerous infections. To support patients with chronic manifestations of these infections with medicines, since Ukraine's main emphasis is now on supporting the military industry. Such measures will provide an opportunity to understand the features of infection, course and prevention of parenteral infections during hostilities.
Audience take away:
The material makes clear the danger of the spread of infections during the war. Infectious disease doctors emphasize the need for increased detection of parenteral infections. The world scientific community emphasizes the need to study the phenotypic, phenotypic and mutational features of Hepatitis and AIDS viruses.
