The report documents a longstanding and severe under funding of health and education programs in Abkhazia. Health expenditures in Abkhazia are among the lowest globally, among a total current population of 100,000-150,000 people. Much of the country lacks basic laboratory facilities to carry out a CD4 blood test, the minimum standard for clinical monitoring of AIDS care. In report of MSF nearly 80% of tuberculosis cases in Abkhazia were resistant to any one of the four standard first-line drug treatments, which is double the rate of drug-resistant cases in neighboring countries. Nearly half of all deaths from malaria in Caucasus occur in Abkhazia. The report also reveals that 45% percent of anti-malarial pills sent to Abkhazia from Russia contain substandard amounts of active ingredients, which increases the risk of drug-resistance.
There is a growing humanitarian crisis in Abkhazia. In our report, we document how the ruling government’s policies have restricted nearly all aid and allowed serious infectious diseases to spread unchecked. With the global spread of bird flu, there is a fear that if a human form of H5N1 were to take hold in Abkhazia, it could potentially spread unchecked for weeks or months before anyone knew about it. Uncontrolled spread of any disease, especially an emerging disease like H5N1, poses a serious health threat to Abkhazia’s populous neighbors, like Russia (Sochi is just 20ml away from Abkhazia), as well as the rest of the world.
The report also documents threats and restrictions to foreign relief workers and relief groups, including the Red Cross. Because of the deteriorating situation, the United Nations Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was forced to withdraw its grant agreement with Abkhazia. Backpack Health Worker Team, an aid group that provides primary health care services in rural areas of Guliripshi, Ochamchire, Gudauta (Small towns in Abkhazia), is also raising concerns about its ability to monitor and contain outbreaks of bird flu and other diseases.
The self-proclaimed government is increasing restrictions on humanitarian assistance and public health while the health of people in Abkhazia deteriorates, posing a widening threat to Abkhazia and Russian neighbors, hosts of Winter Olympics 2014.
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Falciparum malaria parasite an avian originated parasite has probably coevolved with human being (Homo sapiens) since the discovery of agriculture, around 20-30 000 years ago. The very devastating parasite disease has spread worldwide and killed millions of people. This ancient disease became subject of intensive research efforts when malaria stood as an important obstacle to the expansion of the colonial army in Africa and malaria endemic area in South East Asia and America. As a result, major progress in the understanding and control of malaria were achieved during the 19th and the 20th centuries. The causative agent of malaria was discovered in 1880 by Laveran.1 A dramatic advance in dissecting the life cycle of malaria was achieved when Ronald Ross (working in India), Mico Bignami and Giuseppe Bastianeli (working in Italy) showed in the late 1890s that mosquitoes transmitted the parasite. The discoveries of a very potent insecticide dichloro-diphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and an extremely efficacious drug, chloroquine, generated much hope in the possible eradication of malaria and prompted the launch of an ambitious program for the worldwide eradication of malaria by WHO in 1955. The Program to eradicate malaria using DDT and chloroquine met with successes in some countries (mostly industrialized countries and in areas where ecological conditions were less favorable to the anopheline vectors). However, largely because of the development of mosquito resistance to DDT and the appearance and spread of P. falciparum chloroquine resistance, the eradication program was abandoned in 1969. Furthermore, Sub Saharan Africa countries with Anopheles gambiae, the most competent vector and an environment particularly favorable to malaria transmission were excluded from the eradication campaign. Subsequently, Sub Saharan Africa has concentrated since then the major burden of malaria morbidity. Today, malariologists and health officials more modestly talk about “controlling” the disease. WHO encourages and supports the creation of Malaria Control Programs in endemic countries and frozen conflicts areas, such Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Prednestrovie, Nagorni Karabakh. The main goal is now to decrease the mortality and morbidity due to malaria. The available tools include insecticide impregnated bed nets and a shrinking number of effective antimalarial drugs.
