LAUSR

Natural disasters, famine, drought, pandemics, war, and conflict take their toll on people, economies, and governments. Large-scale disasters like war and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine require immediate medical attention, food, water, shelter, and security for affected populations. A recent article published in Prehospital and Disaster Medicine pre-sented the medical experiences from a consular repatriation and evacuation operation during the war in Afghanistan. 1 The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR; Geneva, Switzerland) reports that the number of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the country is rising rapidly and has reached one million people. If the situation escalates, four million people could flee Ukraine. 2 This increased travel will certainly lead to a spike in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the country and those bordering it – like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Moldova – while overwhelming their health care systems. The risks of an escalation are unimaginable. War in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic is a threat to humanity.