Global health officials have warned that there will be a rise in Covid-19 in Ukraine linked to Russia’s invasion, but doctors are also concerned about a rise in other infectious diseases: polio, cholera and measles. Doctors Without Borders also said that Ukraine is facing a shortage of insulin.
Prior to the war, Ukraine had low vaccination rates against these diseases, Kate White, MSF’s emergency response program manager, told CNN on Tuesday.
“In terms of what we call vaccine-preventable diseases, the status in Ukraine was such that the population was not vaccinated to the extent that it would be possible to obtain herd immunity, as in many other European countries or in the USA” , White told CNN.
“Given that this was your baseline and now we have a situation where this system or routine immunization is no longer working because the healthcare system has been disrupted and on top of that you have a general public health situation, so many cities where there is no access to health care, in some places there is no longer the running water they are used to, there is no electricity, there are problems with sanitation – so all these risk factors accumulate on top of each other, which means that there is an increased risk.” , White said, referring to diseases such as polio, cholera and measles.
“There was a polio outbreak in Ukraine last year,” White said. “Ukraine was the last country in Europe to have a cholera outbreak in 2011, and that was in Mariupol. And, as you probably know, there are serious problems with water and sewerage in Mariupol, as well as the inability to do your basic daily activities. around hygiene.
The city of Mariupol remains the main site of Russian attacks and destruction.
“There’s also the risk of measles,” White said. “Basic vaccination status was not particularly high.”
White added that she had heard of some doctors and volunteers testing positive for Covid-19 while in Ukraine, but “testing opportunities are minimal right now.”
Last week, World Health Organization officials said that as the pandemic continues, a Russian invasion will affect the spread of the coronavirus.
“Of course, in Ukraine there will be an increase in Covid-19 among the population, no doubt, because there is no testing, no access to treatment, with the cessation of vaccinations, and there is already low vaccination – I think about 34% or 35%. pre-conflict vaccination rates,” Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said at a briefing last week. “So, there are a lot of people who are still vulnerable to infection.”
In addition, the organization said that Ukraine is facing a shortage of insulin.
In a statement from the World Health Organization, insulin is listed as one of many drugs that it supplies to Ukraine.
According to the International Diabetes Foundation, there are more than 2.3 million people with diabetes in Ukraine, which is 7.1% of the population.