Risk Management and Healthcare Policy (Sep 2022)
Health Risks During Ukrainian Humanitarian Crisis
Abstract
Elena Cojocaru,1 Cristian Cojocaru,2 Elena Cojocaru3 *, Cristian Iulian Oancea4 ʡMorpho-Functional Sciences II Department, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iasi, 700115, Romania; 2Medical III Department, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iasi, 700115, Romania; 3Morpho-Functional Sciences I Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Iasi, 700115, Romania; 4Department of Pulmonology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy ”Victor Babeș”, Timisoara, 300041, Romania*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Cristian Cojocaru, Medical III Department, Faculty of Medicine, “Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 16 Universitatii Street, Iasi, 700115, Romania, Email [email protected]: The unprecedented exodus in the history of the European Union of more than 6 million Ukrainian refugees (May 13, 2022) is a cause for concern and could lead to a new difficult situation in terms of infectious disease control. Following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Europe is facing a new challenge that could lead to a new wave of COVID-19 and an increase in the number of cases of tuberculosis or eradicated diseases, such as polio.Aim: The purpose of this analysis was to provide an overview of lung diseases and health risks that could be encountered in refugees from Ukraine and translated to European Union`countries.Methods: A systematic review was conducted in PubMed, World Health Organization, the UN Refugee Agency and the government’s websites. Selected publications investigated the health problems arising from Ukrainian population migration from conflict areas and their impact on the public health system in the adoptive countries. The main potentially contagious diseases in Ukraine have also been reviewed.Results: The population of Ukraine has serious public health problems such as SARS-CoV-2 infection, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, high levels of drug resistance and difficulties with an effective vaccination program, so there are significant risks of developing epidemics in transit or host countries. The current crisis has major peculiarities because the migrants were not concentrated in the camps but there was a dispersion of them on large territories of European countries.Conclusion: In order to meet the health needs of refugees, it is necessary to adapt health systems culturally and linguistically, to train health workers on the particularities of existing diseases in the countries of refugee origin, and to facilitate collection of medical data on migrants’ health.Keywords: migrants, Ukraine, COVID-19, tuberculosis, polio, public health
