Medical Collapse Due to Russian Bombing... Ukrainian People Face Dual Hardship of 'Epidemic Spread' [Reading Science]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] It has been revealed that the people of Ukraine, who have been invaded by Russia, are suffering from a sharp increase in infectious diseases such as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), tuberculosis, and COVID-19. This is because many people are gathered in enclosed places such as subway stations, temporary shelters, and building basements to avoid bombings, and medical services such as testing and treatment are also poor.

According to the international academic journal Nature on the 16th, just before Russia's invasion on the 24th of last month, Ukraine was at the peak of the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant and was on a declining trend. However, with the outbreak of war, the health authorities' quarantine and basic health services have virtually stopped, and there is currently a significant amount of undetected transmission. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ukraine's COVID-19 vaccination rate is about 65% in the capital region of Kyiv, but in some provinces, it is as low as around 20%, making the situation very dangerous.

Poliomyelitis is also in a dangerous state. In Ukraine, two cases of poliomyelitis occurred in the western region last year. Additionally, the poliovirus, the causative agent of poliomyelitis, was found in 19 healthy individuals. Since this disease develops in about one out of every 200 people infected with the poliovirus, the actual extent of the spread may be much more severe than the number of confirmed patients. The Ukrainian government has suspended the poliomyelitis vaccination campaign for 140,000 children, which began on the 1st of last month, due to the ongoing conflict.

Measles, which has a strong transmission power, is also a problem. Measles outbreaks have occurred in Ukraine since 2017, with more than 115,000 patients reported until 2020. Although Ukrainian health authorities have worked hard to increase the measles vaccination rate to 82%, it is still insufficient to prevent large-scale outbreaks. Moreover, in some areas such as Kharkiv, the measles vaccination rate is less than 50%.

Tuberculosis and AIDS are also troubling residents. Ukraine is one of the countries with the highest incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB), which does not respond well to medication. Approximately 32,000 active tuberculosis carriers are identified annually, and one-third of these are diagnosed with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. In particular, about 22% of people with tuberculosis are also infected with AIDS, which is a major cause of death among AIDS patients. Ukraine has the second highest number of AIDS patients in Eastern Europe, with about 260,000 people, or approximately 1% of the population, infected as of the end of 2020. Among homosexuals, 7.5% are AIDS patients, and among drug users, 21% are AIDS patients. The treatment situation is also poor. Only 69% of all AIDS patients are aware of their condition, 57% receive antiretroviral therapy, and 53% have successfully suppressed the virus. Accordingly, the Ukrainian government has planned to receive a large supply of AIDS treatment drugs from India this month. U.S. President Joe Biden recently announced plans to supply emergency treatment drugs to Ukraine from the neighboring country Poland.

Valeria Rachynska of the Ukraine AIDS Patient Network told Nature, "This war could set us back 10 years. Due to indiscriminate shelling, patients are not receiving their medications," and appealed, "Even if you go to medical facilities, you have to check whether the medicines are available there."