Conflict and Health

BACKGROUND: More than 70% of the health facilities in Tigray, northern Ethiopia, have been totally or partially destroyed by the recent war in the region. Diagnosis and management of tuberculosis were among many health services that suffered. In this study we assess the status of tuberculosis care in health facilities of Tigray during the recent war and compare it with the immediate pre-war state. METHODS: Using sequential mixed method, we analyzed and compared the availability of diagnostic services in 69 health facilities and the utilization of tuberculosis care in 50 of them immediately before the war (September-October 2020) and during the war (November-July 2021)...

BACKGROUND: The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (RCRC) utilizes specialized Emergency Response Units (ERUs) for international disaster response. However, data collection and reporting within ERUs have been time-consuming and paper-based. The Red Cross Red Crescent Health Information System (RCHIS) was developed to improve clinical documentation and reporting, ensuring accuracy and ease of use while increasing compliance with reporting standards. CASE PRESENTATION: RCHIS is an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Health Information System (HIS) designed for RCRC ERUs...

BACKGROUND: Conflict situations, armed or not, have been associated with emergence and transmission of infectious diseases. This review aims to identify the pathways through which infectious diseases emerge within conflict situations and to outline appropriate infectious disease preparedness and response strategies. METHODS: A systematic review was performed representing published evidence from January 2000 to October 2023. Ovid Medline and Embase were utilised to obtain literature on infectious diseases in any conflict settings...

BACKGROUND: Despite the increased recommendations for influenza vaccination, particularly among high-risk groups such as young children, Yemen lacks an influenza vaccination program, and the influenza vaccine is not included in the national immunization regime. This is exacerbated by the country's fragile infrastructure, as well as the devastating consequences of the ongoing conflict, which include child undernutrition and strained healthcare resources. Thus, the objective of the current study is to assess the public attitudes and perceptions toward vaccinating children against influenza in Yemen...

BACKGROUND: This study explores the impacts of attacks perpetrated in the context of armed conflict, to female health workers in three Colombian territories. METHODS: We conducted a document review of the reports and databases of the Colombian Truth Commission, 17 in-depth semi-structured interviews with experts on the national and regional armed conflict and the medical mission, and 26 female health workers who were victims of attacks. RESULTS: Experts and female health workers reported attacks to health activities, facilities, equipment, and personnel, including attacks to traditional doctors belonging to indigenous communities...

BACKGROUND: Since the Hamas attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023, the Israeli military has launched an assault in the Gaza Strip, which included over 12,000 targets struck and over 25,000 tons of incendiary munitions used by 2 November 2023. The objectives of this study include: (1) the descriptive and inferential spatial analysis of damage to critical civilian infrastructure (health, education, and water facilities) across the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the military campaign, defined as 7 October to 22 November 2023 and (2) the analysis of damage clustering around critical civilian infrastructure to explore broader questions about Israel's adherence to International Humanitarian Law (IHL)...

BACKGROUND: War results in widespread destruction of a country's infrastructure, healthcare facilities, and educational institutions. This study aims to assess the attacks on medical schools amidst the ongoing conflict in Sudan. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted across 58 medical schools located in the states of Khartoum, Darfur, and Kordofan. Data on attacks between April 15, 2023, and July 15th 2023, were collected using online data collection form...

In light of a collapsing healthcare system in Sudan, attacks on healthcare institutions and staff have markedly increased since the eruption of war on the 15th of April, costing many precious lives and valuable hospitals. Around 60 attacks on health facilities have been reported so far, many occupied by one or the other sides of the conflict, and the rest exhibit medication shortages and safety issues; hence, two-thirds of the medical centers are nonfunctioning. More than 200 violations against medical staff were recorded all over the country, which led to the death of 38 healthcare workers...

The conflict in Gaza presents distinct difficulties that significantly impact the psychological well-being of healthcare workers (HCWs) making it imperative to understand and address their mental health needs in this specific context. This article highlights the unique challenges of the ongoing Gaza conflict and its critical impact on the mental health of HCWs. Observations in the paper revealed that HCWs in Gaza face extraordinary challenges, including the targeting of medical facilities, severe shortages of medical supplies, and the ethical dilemmas of providing care in such constrained conditions...

BACKGROUND: Somali Red Crescent Society (SRCS), supported by Norwegian Red Cross, has implemented community-based surveillance (CBS) in Somaliland. This methodology aims to reduce the high risk of epidemics by strengthening early warning and response from and at community level, particularly where there is a weak public health surveillance system. CBS is implemented through SRCS community volunteers, who report signals from the community via SMS to the software platform Nyss. This paper presents key findings from the CBS programme evaluation...

BACKGROUND: Rohingya women suffer from inaccessibility to sexual and reproductive health services in Myanmar. After the forcible displacement of the Rohingya from Myanmar to Bangladesh in 2017, pregnancy termination services have been increasingly important and desired, while knowledge gaps and obstacles to access services still exist. The role of community stakeholders is critical as gatekeepers and decision-makers to improve and strengthen pregnancy termination services for women in camps...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The triple political, security, and health crisis in Burkina Faso has impacted the lives of Burkinabè people, resulting in massive internal displacement. These internally displaced persons (IDPs) are very vulnerable to epidemic diseases, which was exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic., The implementation of public health measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 represented a major concern among IDPs. The objective of this study was to document knowledge, difficulties, adjustments, and challenges faced by IDPs and humanitarian authorities/actors during implementation of lockdown, quarantine, and isolation measures in response to COVID-19...

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition, specifically undernutrition, is a significant global challenge that contributes to nearly half of deaths in children under the age of five. The burden of undernutrition is disproportionately borne by conflict-affected, fragile settings (CAFS); children living in a conflict zone being more than twice as likely to suffer from malnourishment. Community health worker (CHW) models have been employed in CAFS to improve healthcare coverage and identify and treat illnesses...

BACKGROUND: World AIDS Day has been observed on the first of December every year. Whilst there are specific themes during the commemoration, the role of conflict on HIV seems neglected and needs prioritization given the rise of conflicts globally. DISCUSSION: The global HIV response brought substantial reduction of new HIV infections and HIV-related deaths, and increment of antiretroviral therapy coverage. Nevertheless, there is substantial inequity on the benefit of the response...

The COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine hesitancy are not the only causes of the increase in measles cases in low- and middle-income countries. Measles epidemics, like the recent one in eastern DRC, are often quickly halted by mass vaccination in 'easy to reach' refugee camps. However, governmental and humanitarian actors fail to respond effectively in 'hard-to-reach' areas like Masisi, frequently limiting themselves to more accessible areas close to big cities.

INTRODUCTION: Armed conflicts have a severe impact on the health of women and children. Global health emergencies such as pandemics and disease outbreaks further exacerbate the challenges faced by vulnerable populations in accessing maternal, neonatal, and child healthcare (MNCH). There is a lack of evidence that summarizes the challenges faced by conflict-affected pregnant women, mothers, and children in accessing MNCH services during global health emergencies, mainly the Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics...

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated an early warning, alert and response system for a crisis-affected population in Doolo zone, Somali Region, Ethiopia, in 2019-2021, with a history of epidemics of outbreak-prone diseases. To adequately cover an area populated by a semi-nomadic pastoralist, or livestock herding, population with sparse access to healthcare facilities, the surveillance system included four components: health facility indicator-based surveillance, community indicator- and event-based surveillance, and alerts from other actors in the area...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: The Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine is characterized by indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and clinics that have devastated the Ukrainian health system putting trauma care at risk. International healthcare providers responded to the need for help with the increasing numbers of trauma patients. We aimed to describe their experiences during the conflict to explore the gaps in systems and care for trauma patients to refine the Global Trauma System Evaluation Tool (G-TSET) tool...