Lebanon is losing its front line
Anita Shallal, Chloé Lahoud, Marcus Zervos, Madonna Matar
Abstract
Prior to the pandemic and the Beirut bombing, Lebanon was in a fragile state, with a humanitarian crisis of more than one million Syrian refugees. The country is thought to be home to the highest number of refugees per capita in the world [3], placing a tremendous burden on the country's health care system and health care providers. During the pandemic, the health of refugees deteriorated, as the crowded conditions in tents provided little protection from the virus. In addition, immunization campaigns have been arrested, including delays in vaccinations of preventable illnesses that are already more prevalent in the refugee population, such as the highly contagious measles virus
Topics & Concepts
RefugeePandemicMeaslesPopulationHumanitarian crisisHealth carePovertyPer capitaVaccinationMedicineFront lineEnvironmental healthEconomic growthCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Political scienceVirologyDiseaseLawPathologyEconomicsInfectious disease (medical specialty)COVID-19 epidemiological studiesCOVID-19 and Mental HealthMigration, Health and Trauma