War-Torn Ukraine Is Also an HIV and Tuberculosis Hot Spot

Ukraine, in addition to a war with Russia, also faces an HIV epidemic. As of 2021, an estimated 240,000 Ukrainians are HIV-positive, 100,000 of them living in regions now impacted by fighting. The country also has one of the world’s highest rates of tuberculosis (TB), a respiratory infection that, prior to COVID-19, killed more people worldwide than any other infectious disease. TB and HIV share comorbidities, and TB is one of the most likely causes of death for a person living with HIV. Things are so bad that before Russia’s invasion in February, Ukraine had the highest per capita burden of both HIV and TB in Europe.