Ukraine

Emergency in Ukraine: external situation report #5, published 31 March 2022: reporting period: 24–30 March 2022

Key updates
On 24 March WHO started the establishment of a logistics hub in the city of Dnipro in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other United Nations (UN) partners, to facilitate the delivery of medical supplies and humanitarian assistance to areas in eastern Ukraine most severely affected by the ongoing conflict.
WHO has developed tools to estimate the need for antiviral treatment and burden of tuberculosis (TB) among refugees from Ukraine to other countries. Both these tools are meant to support resource planning for the refugee-hosting countries. Based on the preliminary estimates, more than 30 000 people living with HIV may need HIV services in refugee-hosting countries.
In Poland WHO conducted a joint mission to assess the availability and accessibility of health services in the border region of Lublin on 25–26 March.
In the Republic of Moldova, WHO and the MoH conducted a rapid assessment of the health services available to refugees on 27 March…

[Excerpts]
“…Vaccination for COVID-19 has been disrupted. Prior to the conflict at least 50 000 people per day were receiving vaccination. This number has dropped significantly, with only 175 000 people being vaccinated between 24 February and 15 March despite suboptimal vaccination coverage. Between 23 February and 30 March, the overall number of beds available and beds occupied by patients with COVID-19 has decreased by 29% and 85% respectively, reflecting potential challenges in accessing hospitals, limited data reporting, and a potential decrease in actual hospitalizations following the peak of the Omicron wave earlier in February…

“…Suboptimal vaccination coverage for routine and childhood immunizations, including measles and poliomyelitis (polio), increases the risk of re-emergence and transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases. Notably, two cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) were reported in Ukraine in 2021. On 1 February 2022 a national supplemental polio immunization campaign targeting nearly 140 000 children was launched, but due to the current situation it has been deprioritized and significantly slowed down.3 …”