Current Epidemiological Situation of Tuberculosis in Ukraine and Chernivtsi Region

Military conflicts have a negative impact on the epidemiology of various diseases, among which tuberculosis is in the lead. The increased risk of TB morbidity and mortality associated with war has been observed since World Wars I and II, and several civil wars, among others. Separate data indicate that armed conflicts are associated with an increase in the risk of tuberculosis among the population by up to 20 %. Objective — to analyze the state of the current epidemiological situation of tuberculosis in Ukraine and the Chernivtsi region during the period of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine and to compare the data with the pre-war period. Materials and methods. A search was conducted in the abstract database of PubMed using the keywords «tuberculosis», «war», «military actions», «incidence», «epidemiology», «military conflicts» and analysis of data from official statistics on epidemiological indicators of TB in the period from 2017 to 2023 years. Results and discussion. In 2020, there was a sharp decline in morbidity rates due to quarantine restrictions that were introduced in connection with COVID-19 — 1.4 times in Ukraine and 1.8 times in Chernivtsi region compared to 2019. The rate of increase in the incidence of active tuberculosis in Ukraine in 2020 was — 28.6 % and — 40.4 % in the Chernivtsi region. In 2021, there was a moderate increase in morbidity both in Ukraine and in the Chernivtsi region, but the changes were more pronounced in the region. And already in 2022 in the Chernivtsi region, the rate of increase in morbidity was +30.6 %, in 2023 — +16.1 %. The impact of the war on the epidemiological indicators of TB can be clearly traced: in 2022, in the Chernivtsi region, the total share of internally displaced persons and servicemen with a first confirmed diagnosis of tuberculosis amounted to 7.4 % of the total number of cases of this disease, in 2023 — 8.4 %. Conclusions. Thus, the impact of military actions on the epidemiological situation with TB in Chernivtsi region is significant. The immediate consequences of military operations were reflected in the growth of the morbidity rate, however, distant consequences in the form of further deterioration of the epidemiological situation with a peak in the next few years should be expected.