Experts warn of rising TB, HIV cases in Ukraine due to war

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has warned that it expects to see rising numbers of tuberculosis and HIV infections in Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion, reported dpa.

"It is too early to assess the long-term consequences of the war accurately, but we expect the conflict to have a significant impact on tuberculosis and HIV rates in Ukraine and across the region," the fund's director, Peters Sands, told German media organization RND on Monday.

"Large movements of refugees, living in cramped shelters and the disruption of medical services all encourage the spread of infectious diseases," Sands added.

An estimated 260,000 people in Ukraine live with HIV, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), while in 2022 Ukraine had one of the highest incidences of tuberculosis in Europe, according to Germany's disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute.

Ukraine is also among the countries with the highest levels of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis - a variant of the disease against which standard medication no longer works.

In addition, Sands expressed concern at Ukraine's diminished capacity to provide health care to its citizens.

"More than 150 health facilities have been damaged or destroyed, medical staff and patients have been displaced, injured or killed," he said, adding that many people no longer had access to health care, and prevention and treatment programmes had been disrupted.

"For tuberculosis patients and people living with HIV, this situation is particularly life-threatening, as they rely on regular medication," Sands warned. "We strongly support the establishment of a protected humanitarian corridor so that medical supplies can be delivered and people who want to leave the conflict zone can do so," he added.