Impacts of attacks to female health care workers in three territories of Colombia.

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. The most frequent attacks were threats and retention of health personnel; theft of supplies and medicines; damage and use of infrastructure and means of transport for purposes other than health care; and hinderance of health service provision. The attacks occurred in a framework of structural violence that intersects with poverty, racism, and gender bias. The impacts of these attacks include gender-based violence, significant disruption of the lives of health workers, and physical, emotional, psychological, social, and economic effects on the victims and their families. The government response to protect victims and populations has been absent or insufficient. CONCLUSIONS: Attacks to health care were reported in all the studied territories obstructing adequate health care. Impacts of these attacks affect negatively the professional and personal life of the workers and are aggravated by structural violence and absent or little institutional response.

The role of cumulative risk and armed conflict exposure in adolescent psychological symptoms in Turkey.

Exposure to risk factors and adversity may cause immediate, and sometimes prolonged, psychological symptoms in adolescents. Identifying universal and specific risk factors in a particular context and examining their cumulative effects is crucial for understanding the mechanisms underlying psychological symptoms and informing about strategies for intervention. Using concurrent measures, the current study aimed to examine the role of armed conflict experiences and cumulation of other risk factors (e.g., maternal psychological symptoms, socioeconomic indicators) in predicting adolescent psychological symptoms in an underresearched community. The sample included 161 adolescents (54.7% female) aged 11-14 years (M = 12.36, SD = 1.27) and their mothers living in the east of Turkey. The cumulative risk index was calculated by summing the standardized scores of the corresponding factors. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to predict internalizing and externalizing symptoms among adolescents by introducing demographic variables (age, gender) in the first step, armed conflict experiences and cumulative risk in the second step, and their interaction in the final step. Results showed that the levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms were predicted by gender, armed conflict experience and cumulative risk. Being a girl was associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms and lower levels of externalizing symptoms. Higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms were predicted by exposure to armed and cumulative risk. After controlling for other factors, the interaction of armed conflict experience and cumulative risk significantly predicted externalizing, but not internalizing symptoms. These findings suggested that cumulative risk was a stronger predictor of psychological symptoms, and further amplified the strength of the association between armed conflict experiences and externalizing symptoms. These findings can be used in the formulation of intervention strategies and policies to promote psychological well-being in adolescents living in armed conflict zones under multiple risks.

Peace through health: traditional medicine meditation in the prevention of collective stress, violence, and war.

In the midst of global armed conflicts, notably the Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia wars, there is an urgent need for innovative public health strategies in peacebuilding. The devastating impact of wars, including mortality, injury, disease, and the diversion of healthcare resources, necessitates effective and durable interventions. This perspective aligns with WHO recommendations and examines the role of evidence-based meditation from Ayurveda and Yoga in public health to mitigate collective stress and prevent collective violence and war. It highlights the Transcendental Meditation program, recognized for reducing stress, with contemporary evidence supporting its effectiveness in mental health, mind-body disorders, cardiovascular disease, and public health. Empirical studies with cross-cultural replications indicate that these Traditional Medicine meditation practices can reduce collective stress and prevent collective violence and war activity while improving quality of life. The mechanisms of group meditation in mitigating collective violence are explored through public health models, cognitive neuroscience, population neuroscience, quantum physics principles, and systems medicine. This perspective suggests that Transcendental Meditation and the advanced TM-Sidhi program, as a component of Traditional Medicine, can provide a valuable platform for enhancing societal well-being and peace by addressing brain-based factors fundamental to collective stress and violence.

Evaluating emergency response at a hospital near the Gaza border within 24 h of increased conflict.

BACKGROUND: Frontline hospitals near active hostilities face unique challenges in delivering emergency care amid threats to infrastructure and personnel safety. Existing literature focuses on individual aspects like mass casualty protocols or medical neutrality, with limited analysis of operating acute services directly under fire. OBJECTIVES: To describe the experience of a hospital situated meters from hostilities and analyze strategies implemented for triage, expanding surge capacity, and maintaining continuity of care during attacks with limited medical staff availability due to hazardous conditions. A focus will be placed on assessing how the hospital functioned and adapted care delivery models in the event of staffing limitations preventing all teams from arriving on site. METHODS: A retrospective case study was conducted of patient records from Barzilai University Medical Center at Ashkelon (BUMCA) Medical Center in Israel within the first 24 h after escalated conflict began on October 7, 2023. Data on 232 admissions were analyzed regarding demographics, treatment protocols, time to disposition, and mortality. Missile alert data correlated patient surges to attacks. Statistical and geospatial analyses were performed. RESULTS: Patients predominantly male soldiers exhibited blast/multisystem trauma. Patient surges at the hospital were found to be correlated with the detection of incoming missile attacks from Gaza within 60 min of launch. While 131 (56%) patients were discharged and 55 (24%) transferred within 24 h, probabilities of survival declined over time reflecting injury severity limitations. 31 deaths occurred from severe presentation. CONCLUSION: Insights gleaned provide a compelling case study on managing mass casualties at the true frontlines. By disseminating BUMCA's trauma response experience, strategies can strengthen frontline hospital protocols optimizing emergency care delivery during hazardous armed conflicts through dynamic surge capacity expansion, early intervention prioritization, and infrastructure/personnel protection measures informed by risks.

Interconnections between children's upbringing, camps, and post-war villages: caregivers' lived experiences in northern Uganda.

Since the end of the Second World War in 1945, the erection of camps within and across state borders has become the most common response to the influx of displaced persons. Based on empirical evidence from northern Uganda, this paper aims to provide answers to two main questions: (i) how does the camp influence and frame the upbringing of children?; and (ii) how do caregivers shape and adjust upbringing within this setting and when they return to their 'former homes' ? Interviews and focus-group discussions were conducted with 48 caregivers living in Kitgum District, northern Uganda. Deductive thematic analysis was employed to structure participants' accounts of past and present interconnections between upbringing and (previous) encampment. By paying close attention to their (counter-)narratives, people's agency and coping are emphasised through the simultaneous forging of new interconnections (that is, discontinuities) and holding on to old interconnections (that is, continuities) between upbringing, the camp, and the post-war village.

The epidemiological profile of incidence and mortality from epidemics in complex humanitarian emergencies from 1990 to 2022 - A scoping review.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the impact of communicable diseases with epidemic potential in complex emergency (CE) situations, focusing on the epidemiological profile of incidence and mortality and exploring underlying factors contributing to increased epidemic risks. METHODS: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, we conducted a scoping review of articles published between 1990 and 2022. The search included terms related to complex emergencies, communicable diseases, outbreaks, and epidemics. We identified 92 epidemics related to CE occurring in 32 different countries. RESULTS: Communicable diseases like Shigellosis, Cholera, Measles, Meningococcal meningitis, Yellow Fever, and Malaria caused significant morbidity and mortality. Diarrhoeal diseases, particularly Cholera and Shigellosis, had the highest incidence rates. Shigella specifically had an incidence of 241.0 per 1000 (people at risk), with a mortality rate of 11.7 per 1000, while Cholera's incidence was 13.0 per 1000, with a mortality rate of 0.22 per 1000. Measles followed, with an incidence of 25.0 per 1000 and a mortality rate of 0.76 per 1000. Meningococcal Meningitis had an incidence rate of 1.3 per 1000 and a mortality rate of 0.13 per 1000. Despite their lower incidences, yellow fever at 0.8 per 1000 and malaria at 0.4 per 1000, their high case fatality rates of 20.1% and 0.4% remained concerning in CE. The qualitative synthesis reveals that factors such as water, sanitation, and hygiene, shelter and settlements, food and nutrition, and public health and healthcare in complex emergencies affect the risk of epidemics. CONCLUSION: Epidemics during complex emergencies could potentially lead to a public health crisis. Between 1990 and 2022, there have been no statistically significant changes in the trend of incidence, mortality, or fatality rates of epidemic diseases in CE. It is crucial to understand that all epidemics identified in CE are fundamentally preventable.

Early-Life Exposure to War and Later Life Physical Functional Health.

OBJECTIVE: A growing body research shows that early life exposure to war has adverse effects on later life health. Research has emphasized the importance of exposure timing implicating domain-specific developmental processes and associated critical/sensitive periods. This study looks at the impacts of early childhood war exposure and the repercussions for later life physical and functional health, with a focus on time of exposure as a source of variability. METHOD: We use residential histories from the Survey of Health Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) linked to external data on the location and timing of hostilities to examine the impact of early life exposure to World War II on later life physical and functional health. RESULTS: Exposure to war increases the risk of objective (grip strength, chair rise, and peak expiratory flow) and self-reported (mobility limitations and ADLs) measures of functional health. Effects are especially pronounced for those born during the war and for those with more prolonged exposures. There is little evidence that the impact of war is mediated by war-related hardships, socioeconomic conditions, health behaviors, or adult chronic disease. DISCUSSION: Our results suggest early life exposure to war has lasting impact on physical functional health. Exposure appears to largely operate via direct effects, indicative of altered initial development of physical capacity in early life. Because exposure was so pervasive among some cohorts of older individuals, understanding the health of present older European populations requires wrestling with the residual consequences of wartime exposure at the start of their lives.

The role of the Field Epidemiology Training Program in the public health emergency response: Sudan armed conflict 2023.

Background: On April 15, 2023, the armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) started in Khartoum state, Sudan. This conflict was complicated by the preexisting complicated epidemiological situation and fragile health system in Sudan. This study endeavors to illuminate the pivotal role essayed by the Sudan FETP (SFETP) in enhancing the nation's public health response, particularly amidst the tumultuous backdrop of armed conflicts that have left their indelible mark on the region. Methods: Employing a blend of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, we investigated the SFETP's contributions to the public health response during the initial 4 months of the conflict (April-July 2023). Sixty-four SFETP residents and graduates were invited to participate, and data were gathered through semi-structured questionnaires. Results: A total of 44 (69%) SFETP residents and graduates were included in this study. Out of 38 SFETPs present in the states, 32 have considerably contributed to the crisis response at state and locality levels. Three-quarters of them have played key leadership, planning, and management roles. In essence, 38% (n = 12) of them have contributed to public health surveillance, particularly in data management, reports, Early Warning Alert and Response System (EWAR) establishment, and epidemic investigation. SFETPs have made special contributions to crisis response at the community level. The involved SFETPs supported WASH interventions (n = 4), and almost one-third of them strengthened risk communication and community engagement (n = 9). Despite their physical presence at the subnational level, 27% of graduates were not deployed to the crisis emergency response. Notably, throughout this time, half of the total SFETPs were formally retained during this response. Conclusion: The study highlighted the importance of FETP engagement and support during public health crises. SFETP residents and graduates played diverse roles in the various levels of public health emergency response to the crisis. However. Strategies to improve the deployment and retention of FETP residents are necessary to ensure their availability during crises. Overall, FETP has proven to be an asset in public health crisis management in Sudan.

Medical Sanctions Against Russia: Arresting Aggression or Abrogating Healthcare Rights?

Since 2022, the EU, US, and other nations have imposed medical sanctions on Russia to block the export of pharmaceuticals and medical devices and curtail clinical trials to degrade Russia's military capabilities. While international law proscribes sanctions that cause a humanitarian crisis, an outcome averted in Russia, the military effects of medical sanctions have been lean. Strengthening medical sanctions risks violating noncombatant and combatant rights to healthcare. Each group's claim is different. Noncombatants and severely injured soldiers who cannot return to duty enjoy the right to adequate health care that sanctions cannot undermine. Combatants falling captive enjoy the same medical care that adversaries provide their own troops. Combatants yet to renounce hostilities, however, have no claim to medical attention and remain subject to sanctions. Nevertheless, medical sanctions prove unworkable in this complex environment of conflicting rights and command no place in a sustainable sanction regime.

Assessing the health consequences of northern Ethiopian armed conflict, 2022.

Armed conflict is a complicated topic with multidimensional impact on population health. This study aimed to assess of the health consequences of the northern Ethiopian conflict, 2022. We used a mixed method study design with a retrospective cross-sectional study supplemented by a qualitative study conducted from May to June 2022. We interviewed 1806 individuals from 423 households and conducted 100 in-depth interviews and focused group discussion. We identified 224 people who self-reported cases of illness (124/1000 people) with only 48 (21%) people who fell ill visited a health institution. We also detected 27 cases of deaths (15/1000 people) during the conflict. The collapse of the health system, evacuation of health personnel, and shortage of medical supplies, and instability with a lack of transportation were consequences of the conflict. The northern Ethiopian conflict has greatly affected the community's health through the breakdown of the health system and health-supporting structures.

Gender-based violence in the context of armed conflict in Northern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Gender-based violence (GBV) particularly against women is unfortunately common during armed conflicts. No rigorous and comprehensive empirical work has documented the extent of GBV and its consequences that took place during the two years of devastating armed conflict in Northern Ethiopia. This study aims to assess GBV and its consequences in war-torn areas of northern Ethiopia. METHODS: We used a qualitative method augmented by quantitative method to enroll research participants. We conducted in-depth interviews to characterize the lived experiences of GBV survivors. All interviews were conducted confidentially. The data were collected to the point of data saturation. All interviews were transcribed verbatim into local language, translated into English, and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. We also used reports from healthcare facilities and conducted a descriptive analysis of the demographic characteristics of study participants. RESULTS: One thousand one hundred seventy-seven persons reported GBV to healthcare providers. The qualitative study identified several forms of violence (sexual, physical, and psychological). Gang rape against women including minors as young as 14 years old girls was reported. Additionally, the perpetrators sexually violated women who were pregnant, and elderly women as old as 65 years, who took refuge in religious institutions. The perpetrators committed direct assaults on the body with items (e.g., burning the body with cigarette fire) or weapons, holding women and girls as captives, and deprivation of sleep and food. GBV survivors reported stigma, prejudice, suicide attempts, nightmares, and hopelessness. GBV survivors dealt with the traumatic stress by outmigration (leaving their residences), seeking care at healthcare facilities, self-isolation, being silent, dropping out of school, and seeking counseling. CONCLUSION: GBV survivors were subjected to multiple and compounding types of violence, with a wide range of adverse health consequences for survivors and their families. GBV survivors require multifaceted interventions including psychological, health, and economic support to rehabilitate them to lead a productive life.

Drivers of men's use of intimate partner violence in conflict-affected settings: learnings from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) is prevalent in conflict-affected settings. Yet, there is limited knowledge about the risk factors that influence men's use of IPVAW in conflict-affected settings. This paper adopts a transdisciplinary perspective to understand how experiences hypothesized to increase men's use of IPVAW relate to each other and to men's use of IPVAW. The findings may help researchers and interventionists to better select and target interventions for IPVAW in conflict-affected settings. METHODS: We used baseline data from the Tushinde Ujeuri project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Men with at least partial data for the variables of interest were included in the analysis (n = 2080). We estimated a structural equation model that explored how five constructs - interpersonal violence, mental health, socioeconomic adversity, gender inequitable attitudes, and conflict violence - influenced men's self-reported past-year use of physical and/or sexual IPVAW. RESULTS: The model had acceptable fit (χ2 = 1576.574, p = 0.000; RMSEA = 0.041; CLI = 0.882; SRMR = 0.055). There was a statistically significant path from interpersonal violence to IPVAW (ß = 0.875; OR = 2.40). Interpersonal violence also was linked to gender inequitable attitudes (ß = 0.364), which were linked to increased use of IPVAW (ß = 0.180; OR = 1.20). Moreover, interpersonal violence was linked to trauma symptoms (ß = 0.331), which were linked to increased use of IPVAW (ß = 0.238; OR = 1.27). Use of IPVAW decreased as conflict exposures increased (ß=-0.036; OR = 0.96), and there was no path from socioeconomic adversity to IPVAW. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest interpersonal violence exposures, trauma symptoms, and gender inequitable attitudes are all risk factors for the use of IPVAW in a conflict-affected setting. While continuing to focus on gender inequitable attitudes and norms, interventionists should also consider addressing men's experiences of victimization and mental wellbeing. Doing so can help to improve trauma symptoms and may hold promise to reduce IPVAW in conflict-affected settings.

Impact of the armed conflict in Colombia: consequences in the health system, response and challenges.

INTRODUCTION: In Colombia, research on health and conflict has focused on mental health, psychosocial care, displacement, morbidity, and mortality. Few scientific studies have assessed health system functioning during armed conflicts. In a new period characterized by the implementation of the peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) armed group, understanding the effects of armed conflict on the health system, the functions, and institutions shaped by the conflict is an opportunity to understand the pathways and scope of post-conflict health policy reforms. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effects of armed conflict on the health system, response, and mechanisms developed to protect medical missions during armed conflict in Colombia. METHODS: This research was conducted using a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. The qualitative guide collected information in four sections: (1) conflict and health system, effects and barriers in health service provision, (2) actions and coordination to cope with those barriers, (3) health policies and armed conflict, and (4) post-accord and current situation. Twenty-two people participated in the interviews, including eight policymakers at the national level and seven at the local level, including two NGOs and five members of international organizations. An academic project event in December 2019 and four focus groups were developed (World Cafe technique) to discuss with national and local stakeholders the effects of armed conflict on the health system and an analytical framework to analyze its consequences. RESULTS: The conflict affected the health-seeking behavior of the population, limited access to healthcare provision, and affected health professionals, and was associated with inadequate medical supplies in conflict areas. The health system implemented mechanisms to protect the medical mission, regulate healthcare provision in conflict areas, and commit to healthcare provision (mental and physical health services) for the population displaced by conflict. CONCLUSION: The state's presence, trust, and legitimacy have significantly reduced in recent years. However, it is crucial to restore them by ensuring that state and health services are physically present in all territories, including remote and rural areas.

Episodic versus thematic media framing of violence against social leaders and human rights defenders in Colombia.

Social leaders and human rights defenders (SLHRD) in Colombia have been under increasing attack for defending the rights of communities affected by violence. From 2016 to 2022, over 600 SLHRD were assassinated, resulting in a serious violation of both individual and community human rights. The media's portrayal of these attacks can shape public perceptions and influence efforts towards peacebuilding and promoting human rights. This study examines the media's framing of violence against SLHRD in Colombia between 2016 and 2020, a period marked by an escalation of violence after the signing of the 2016 peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). We analysed 1506 textual publications from seven media outlets using a lexicometric approach and identified two frames of news articles: episodic and thematic. Our findings suggest that the episodic media framing may present a simplistic and non-political perspective of the issue, which can impede peacebuilding efforts, while the thematic frame can raise awareness of violence against SLHRD and promote human rights defence. Our study highlights the media's significant role in shaping public opinion on violence against SLHRD, offering practical implications for advocacy and activism.

Macro level system mapping of the provision of mental health services to young people living in a conflict context in Colombia.

Colombia has one of the longest running internal armed conflicts, which has significantly impacted the mental health of the population. This article is the first to present a national level mapping of the provision of mental health services to young people living in Colombia, through detailed review of documentation, interviews with key stakeholders and quantitative analysis of existing data on mental health and suicide. It explores the existing public mental health provision in the country, focussing on where mental health resources are concentrated and how these are implemented. We use this mapping to understand how the current mental health system in Colombia fits with international approaches to youth mental health. We show that whilst mental health policy is variously framed (biomedical, biosocial, psychologically or through human rights), Colombian policy clearly focusses on a differential approach. This differential approach shapes service provision to target support at those in need, consequently neglecting whole population level mental health support. This means that not all stakeholders were clearly articulated or included in policy and that key institutional stakeholders, such as the education sector, were not linked to implementation plans or activity. Policy approaches were also over-centralised with little cross-institutional collaboration. Youth were specifically missing from services, as was explicit understanding of the intergenerational effects and impact of conflict. This was exacerbated by unequal distribution of mental health care services concentrated in populous, urban areas away from conflict-affected regions. Suicide is the second most prevalent cause of death with 10% of population who were recorded as dying by violence, dying from completed suicide. Triangulation implies a strong relationship between suicide and poorer access to professional support in conflict-affected areas and suggests that international frameworks and policy approaches to supporting youth mental health have been insufficiently adapted for conflict and post conflict contexts.

Leveraging a Digitized Mental Wellness (DIGImw) Program to Provide Mental Health Care for Internally Displaced People.

A local insurgency has displaced many people in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado. The authors' global team (comprising members from Brazil, Mozambique, South Africa, and the United States) has been scaling up mental health services across the neighboring province of Nampula, Mozambique, now host to >200,000 displaced people. The authors describe how mental health services can be expanded by leveraging digital technology and task-shifting (i.e., having nonspecialists deliver mental health care) to address the mental health needs of displaced people. These methods can serve as a model for other researchers and clinicians aiming to address mental health needs arising from humanitarian disasters in low-resource settings.

Community exposure to armed conflict and subsequent onset of alcohol use disorder.

AIMS: To measure the independent consequences of community-level armed conflict beatings on alcohol use disorders (AUD) among males in Nepal during and after the 2000-2006 conflict. DESIGN: A population-representative panel study from Nepal, with precise measures of community-level violent events and subsequent individual-level AUD in males. Females were not included because of low AUD prevalence. SETTING: Chitwan, Nepal. PARTICIPANTS: Four thousand eight hundred seventy-six males from 151 neighborhoods, systematically selected and representative of Western Chitwan. All residents aged 15-59 were eligible (response rate 93%). MEASUREMENTS: Measures of beatings in the community during the conflict (2000-2006), including the date and distance away, were gathered through neighborhood reports, geo-location and official resources, then linked to respondents' life histories of AUD (collected in 2016-2018) using the Nepal-specific Composite International Diagnostic Interview with life history calendar. Beatings nearby predict the subsequent onset of AUD during and after the armed conflict. Data were analyzed in 2021-2022. FINDINGS: Cohort-specific, discrete-time models revealed that within the youngest cohort (born 1992-2001), those living in neighborhoods where armed conflict beatings occurred were more likely to develop AUD compared with those in other neighborhoods (odds ratio = 1.66; 95% confidence interval = 1.02-2.71). In this cohort, a multilevel matching analysis designed to simulate a randomized trial showed the post-conflict incidence of AUD for those living in neighborhoods with any armed conflict beatings was 9.5% compared with 5.3% in the matched sample with no beatings. CONCLUSIONS: Among male children living in Chitwan, Nepal during the 2000-2006 armed conflict, living in a neighborhood where armed conflict beatings occurred is associated with increased odds of developing subsequent alcohol use disorder. This association was independent of personal exposure to beatings and other mental disorders.

The patch as method: The arts' contribution towards understandings of conflict.

This article asks: how do art practice and research give form to changing dynamics of conflict? Its argument is two-fold: art's contribution can be developed from empirical considerations (what art finds out), and from methodological ones (how art finds something out). Bringing in art practice and the research methods it informs into political science helps understand conflict and its changes: by engaging simultaneously with the interaction between the collective and the personal, art practice and research elucidates those complex and layered narratives used by various actors in conflict that often resist approaches rooted in social and political sciences. By paying attention to everyday interactions and emphasizing dynamism, art provides a different way to chart changes in armed conflict. Art documents discourses that are difficult to communicate otherwise and allows us to detect and engage with the grey areas, transformations, processes and ambivalences of conflicts that escape neat categorizations.

Toxic chemical exposures among civilians in armed conflicts: the need for research equity, justice, and accountability.

OBJECTIVE: Armed conflicts result in the release of toxic chemicals into the surrounding environment and civilians are commonly exposed to these toxicants.This paper reviews the evidence on civilian exposure to toxic chemicals, including but not limited to inhaled toxic substances, in post-World War II armed conflicts, and proposes a framework for the implementation of long-term surveillance programs for these populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four databases of peer-reviewed health articles were searched for all English-language articles with a primary focus on toxic chemical exposures among civilians in armed conflicts since World War II. The review was supplemented substantially by the gray literature. RESULTS: In the 66 articles that met the inclusion criteria, the authors categorized the chemical toxicants to which civilians have been exposed in modern armed conflicts as ubiquitous (e.g. smoke, dust, and munitions components present in all conflicts) or particular agents (e.g. specific chemical agents used in a few conflicts). While most studies focused on particular agents, the vast majority of civilians are in fact exposed to ubiquitous agents both in the acute conflict phase and through persistent environmental exposures after the cessation of hostilities. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: There is a dearth of research concerning civilian exposures to toxic chemicals during armed conflicts. In line with principles of equity, justice, and accountability, robust research and surveillance programs are urgently needed to document exposures and provide ongoing assessments and any necessary treatment for these long-ignored populations, most of whom live in the Global South.

Trend and disparities in authorship of healthcare-related publications on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

BACKGROUND: The Russia-Ukraine war has undeniably impacted global science and healthcare in Ukraine. Many Ukrainian researchers have had their projects disrupted by this war, either due to loss of life, displacement, or destruction of resources. Despite these challenges, these researchers have sought to make their voices heard. This scoping review highlights the trend of healthcare-related publications on the current Russia-Ukraine war and characterizes the contribution of Ukrainian authors to these publications. METHOD: A comprehensive literature search was performed using two databases (Scopus and Pubmed) for publications related to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. We included articles only related to healthcare. We then extracted and analyzed bibliometric data. RESULT: One hundred and eighty-three articles were identified, including 12 (6.6%) original articles, 26 (14.2%) cross-sectional studies, 19 (10.4%) letters to the editor, 10 (5.5%) commentaries, 5 (2.7%) perspectives, 35 (19.1%) editorials, 2 (1.1%) randomized controlled trials, 11(6.0%) correspondences, 13 (7.1%) opinions, 8 (4.4%) reviews and 42 (23.0%) are identified as others. 180 (98.4%) studies were in English, and 3 (1.7%) were in German. 54 (29.5%) papers on the war had at least one author affiliated with a Ukrainian institution, and 29 (15.9%) studies had authors with Ukrainian affiliation as first authors. CONCLUSION: our study shows that there has been a significant number of publications on the Russia-Ukraine war and only a small portion of first authors, co-authors, and last authors of these publications are affiliated to an institution in Ukraine. Therefore, despite the relatively high number of publications, most publications do not arise from the perspective of Ukrainian authors.