The Impact of War on Health by: Fabiola Enriquez

When it comes to the impact of wars on health, it is important to mention the great impact nuclear wars have on the environment and consequently, on the people’s health. Not only should we be concerned about the release of toxic chemicals from nuclear weapons, but we should also be aware of the damage the places of production and testing can cause to community living in those areas. Currently, there is a lot more information regarding of production sites in the United States than any other part of the world (1). It has been recorded that a majority of nuclear weapon production sites have to compensate retired workers since some suffer negative health effects from occupational exposure.

Not only are nuclear weapons to blame for increased health risks on humans, but we should also consider the destruction of buildings and homes by bombing. During World War II, 50 million people were displaced from their home and many cities including Warsaw, Berlin, Hamburg, Pisa, and Budapest were greatly damaged (1). The destruction of many homes included the demolition of irrigation networks making it impossible for inhabitants to get clean water. The population was at an increased danger of disease due to decreased availability of clean water and living in rundown homes with more individuals increased their risk to infectious diseases. In other countries like Japan, the damage was also intense, since bombs destroyed more than buildings. Bombarding caused the loss of rice harvest resulting in hunger, starvation and death.

Land mines are also a massive risk to the population that live among them. Countries around the world have thousands of land mines that do not follow international regulations, therefore there is no one controlling how close people live around those areas causing many deaths and injuries to civilians around the world. Land mines cause many deaths and they also prevent people from using this land for farming and agriculture. As a result, million of civilians starve to death because they are not able to utilize their country’s natural resources. Health concerns are not limited to humans, but they also include the pollution of soil, destruction of plant life, and disruption of water streams. Wars affect the health of people when pesticides and other air pollutants are used to threaten the safety of the population. The distribution of contaminants is utilized to destroyed crops and increase health risks in a desired population causing a great deal of stress for people’s health and their harvests.

When war takes over a country, it is important to consider that foreign troops are exposed to new virus, bacteria and parasites. Such was the case in 1990 when U.S. troops had been sent to the Persian Gulf, when Iraq went to war with Kuwait. According to records gathered by the University of Chicago, more than 50% of troops stated to have experienced an episode of acute diarrhea (2). Most of the soldiers that were affected by acute diarrhea were infected with Escherichia Coli and Shigella Sonnei. Medical staff found vegetables and fruits produced locally to be the culprit of these cases of gastroenteritis. After this produce was studied, they realized that these were the foods that caused acute diarrhea to most of the troops. Also, many soldiers were sent to field locations and cohabitated close to one another, shared substandard latrines and washing facilities, which gave place to the spread of these enteropathogens (2). Another major risk to the soldiers happened when a food handler got sick and was careless when it came to food preparation.

When troops are sent to foreign countries they run the risk of being to exposed to different kinds of pathogens that they would not have encountered in their native states. Such is the case of Leishmaniasis, which is a protozoan parasite that causes a visceral infection on the skin. Some of the symptoms experienced by the troops were fever, enlargement of the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes (2). Unfortunately, it was difficult of cases of visceral L. tropica to be diagnosed due to the lack of sensitivity or skin screening test. At the same times most people who were known to have this infection presented visible signs of Leishmaniasis. Those living in the urban areas were thought to be at lower risk of contracting the infection because they were less exposed to the vectors of and primary hosts which are the sandfly and desert rodent, respectively. Most troops were lucky to have been sent to these are when sandfly were at their lowest stage of activity (2).

War between any numbers of countries causes a great deal of devastation to their cities, buildings, crops, men, children and women. Women are greatly affected by war during this occurrence and after it. The United Nations made an effort to help women and sent them to a refugee camp in Oru Village, in Ogun State, Nigeria. Between January and March 2004, a study was performed to evaluate how forced migration affects the incidence of disease among women (3). Women provided accounts of their experiences during the war. Since most women were left to fend for themselves, a great number of them suffered the malevolence that comes with war and conflict. Women were raped by foreigners and those who realized no one could protect them. This put them at increased risk of contacting sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. Some women were even forced to engage in commercial sex work, some were physically abused and forced to marry.

War is known to negatively effect families, social, physical development, and to increase morbidity and mortality. We cannot forget about the impact it has on human’s mental health. Two studies performed in Afghanistan show the damage war caused a great number of inhabitants. A survey of 799 adults demonstrated that 67.7% of those who answered it had a diagnosis of depression, 72.2% experienced symptoms of anxiety, and 42% had post-traumatic stress disorder (4). Another crossectional study performed in Afghanistan used the responses of 1011 people and found that 38.5% of them experienced depression, 51.8% had symptoms of anxiety, and 20.4% had a diagnosis of PTSD (4). In the Balkans, children were also studied, and it was found that children between the ages of 9 to 14, showed high levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms which was related to the type and amount of exposure to traumatic events.

Similarly to the previously mentioned studies, others show an account in such places as Cambodia. Studies that included children, demonstrated that even after being followed for 3 years, these children showed 48% of Post-traumatic stress disorder, and 41% of depression symptoms (4). Even though traditional healers, monks, and elders had a great impact on the population’s mental health, after the war, this was not the case any longer. Many people during the war lost their respect and changed their beliefs making it difficult to find support during these traumatic times. Even if victims of war are taken to refugees, many times they do not show improvement because they have already experienced traumatic events and because they do not have the support system they had back at homes. Also, their personals beliefs could get in the way of the thorough understanding of Western ideas, when it comes to mental health.

Children are negatively impacted by war in many ways. Not only is their health jeopardized, most also develop mental disorders as well as developmental issues. Children are usually in need of an adults care, but when war happens this relationship in interrupted because of parents’ dead or separation from family members. Many times children are forced to fend for themselves and even take care of younger siblings once parents are gone. Children are not permitted to develop properly because now they have to assume the role of a parent and provider (5). Seeking proper health care is also a disadvantage of children during war. Most kids are not mature enough to know the importance of received health services and many times ignore this part of their lives. Also, children might have been physically injured and they might not be able to attend school or learn any physical work that would have allowed them to support their families in the future. Without an education or necessary work experience, these children are at a great disadvantage when they grow up.

During war, most children will not receive proper health care, which includes immunizations. This increases their vulnerability to a variety of diseases that could threaten their life. The lack of food also increased their risk of disease because of malnutrition. Sometimes children are recruited to fight in wars making them highly susceptible to injuries and death. Since children do not have the development of an adult they find themselves at a great disadvantage when they themselves engage in warfare (5). It is necessary for programs that focus on helping those that have been exposed to war to include physical rehabilitation and mental health services.

1. Leaning, Jennifer. Environment and Health: 5. Impact of War. CJMA 2000; 163(9): 1157-1161
2. Bennett T, Bartlett L, Olatunde OA, Amowitz L. Refugees, forced displacement, and war. Emerg Infect Dis . 2004 November
3. Hyams, Kenneth C. Hanson, Kevin. Wignall, F. The impact of Infectious Diseases on the Health of U.S. Troops Deployed to the Persian Gulf. University of Chicago Press, 1995. Clin Infect Dis 1995; 20:1497-1504
4. Farhood, L. The Impact of War on the Physical and Mental Health of the Family. Soc Sci Med. 1993 Jun;36(12): 1555-1567

Santa Barbara, J. Impact of War on Children and Imperative to End War. Croat Med J. 2006 December; 47 (6): 891-894