Yogyakarta: The global food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine could kill millions and cause the world’s next health hazard by leaving the most hungry people more vulnerable to infections. The head of a major aid organization warned that there was. The naval blockade of Russia’s Ukrainian Black Sea port has stopped shipping grain from the world’s fourth-largest wheat and corn exporter, raising concerns about shortages and hunger in low-income countries.
This week, Peter Sands, secretary-general of the World AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Foundation, means that the effects of food shortages will reduce many people’s defenses against malnutrition infections as well as hunger. He said he was. ..
“We’re probably already starting the next health crisis. This isn’t a new pathogen, but it does mean that undernourished people are more vulnerable to existing illnesses,” he said. He said in an interview with a bystander at the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. “I think it’s a combination of infectious diseases, food shortages, and the energy crisis … this can result in millions of deaths,” he said.
The World Government should minimize the impact of the food crisis by providing front-line health care to the most vulnerable and poorest communities, said a former UK banker who now leads a $ 4 billion fund. rice field. “That is, by focusing on primary health care, we can achieve health care provided by villages and communities. Hospitals are important, but when faced with this type of challenge, the most important thing is primary health care. is.”
‘disaster’
According to World Health Organization data, the fight to contain the coronavirus epidemic robbed resources of the fight against tuberculosis, which killed 1.5 million people in 2020. “It was a disaster for tuberculosis,” Sands said. “By 2020, 1.5 million people worldwide will no longer be treated for tuberculosis, which tragically means that not only will hundreds of thousands die, but they will infect others. increase.”
Health experts said solving the food crisis is paramount to helping treat the world’s second most deadly infectious disease. The West and Ukraine have accused Russia of trying to put pressure on concessions by blocking exports of important grains to raise the risk of global famine. Moscow countered by saying that it was Western sanctions that blamed the shortages in the Middle East and Africa.
Germany will host a conference on the crisis on Friday entitled “Unity for Global Food Security,” attended by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “It’s a pandemic of the poor, so it doesn’t attract the same amount of investment in R & D,” Sands said of tuberculosis. “This is a tragedy because it is a disease that we know how to prevent, treat and eliminate.” – AFP
