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Volume 11, Issue 4 (11-2026)
J Nutr Food Secur. 2026, 11(4): 515-516 |
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Fattahi Bafghi A, Mozaffari-Khosravi H. Warning of the Dangers of War, Economic Blockade, Food Security and Hygiene in the Spread of Parasitic and Infectious Disease. J Nutr Food Secur. 2026; 11 (4) :515-516
URL: http://jnfs.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-1771-en.html
URL: http://jnfs.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-1771-en.html
Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
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Ali Fattahi Bafghi; PhD1 & Hassan Mozaffari-Khosravi; PhD2*
1 Medical Parasitology & Mycology Department, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran; 2 Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
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Warning of the Dangers of War, Economic Blockade, Food Security and Hygiene in the Spread of Parasitic and Infectious Disease
Ali Fattahi Bafghi; PhD1 & Hassan Mozaffari-Khosravi; PhD2*
1 Medical Parasitology & Mycology Department, School of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran; 2 Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
| ARTICLE INFO | ||
| EDITORIAL ARTICLE | *Corresponding author mozaffari.kh@gmail.com Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran. Postal code: 8915173160 Tel: +98 9131531467 |
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| Article history: Received: 5 Sep 2026 Revised: 6 Sep 2026 Accepted: 6 Sep 2026 |
We are writing to express our deep concern about the devastating and often overlooked synergy between geopolitical conflicts and disease outbreaks. While the immediate toll of war and economic sanctions is regularly reported, silent killers, parasitic, and infectious diseases thrive in the shadow of instability, and we must sound the alarm before these secondary crises take even more lives. Studies show that in times of conflict, the infrastructure of civilization: clean water, sanitation, and health care, are often the first casualties. War and economic blockades do not just destroy buildings; they dismantle the systems that keep populations healthy (Jafarvand et al., 2022, Marou et al., 2024).
When water treatment plants are bombed, pipelines cut, or chlorine imports restricted by sanctions, civilians are forced to drink contaminated water. This creates fertile ground for waterborne pathogens such as cholera, parasitic intestinal diseases and dysentery. The lack of basic sanitation, resulting from the lack of soap and clean water, allows these infectious diseases to spread like wildfire through displaced populations and crowded shelters. Furthermore, the intersection of food security and parasitism is a crisis of enormous proportions. Economic blockade often leads to severe food shortages and malnutrition. Malnutrition is not simply starvation; it is an immunological catastrophe. A malnourished body lacks the defenses to fight diseases that a healthy person would easily overcome. Moreover, parasitic infections, often transmitted through contaminated food or soil, are much more severe in a malnourished host. A simple intestinal worm that is manageable in a healthy child can lead to severe anemia, stunted growth, and death in a child weakened by famine; this creates a vicious cycle: war creates famine; famine forces people to consume unsafe food and water; weakened immune systems succumb to parasites; and populations infected with disease are unable to work, farm, or rebuild their communities.
This is not a natural disaster; it is a man-made public health emergency. The international community and policymakers must be called upon to recognize that the public health consequences of war and sieges are not “collateral damage” but a predictable and preventable disaster. There must be immediate and unhindered access to medical supplies, water purification tablets, and food aid, and the reconstruction of health infrastructure must be prioritized as a humanitarian emergency (FAO et al., 2022, Firdous et al., 2025).
We cannot claim to value human rights while ignoring the biological weapons of hunger and disease. There is a moral imperative to break this cycle before preventable diseases become the ultimate executioners of vulnerable populations.
References
FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP & WHO 2022. The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2022. Repurposing food and agricultural policies to make healthy diets more affordable. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc0639en.: Rome, FAO.
Firdous N, et al. 2025. Food safety consideration to achieve global health outcomes under food security iIssues. In olistic Health: One Health Horizons: Integrating Biodiversity, Biosecurity, and Sustainable Practices. Unique Scientific Publishers, Faisalabad, Pakistan (ed. S. Farooqi, K. Kholik and M. Zaman), pp. 40-48.
Jafarvand E, Abdollahi Z, Edalati S, Niknam MH & Jalali M 2022. Food security threats for the world and Iran. Iranian journal of culture and health promotion. 6 (3): 443-451.
Marou V, et al. 2024. The impact of conflict on infectious disease: a systematic literature review. Conflict and health. 18 (1): 27.
When water treatment plants are bombed, pipelines cut, or chlorine imports restricted by sanctions, civilians are forced to drink contaminated water. This creates fertile ground for waterborne pathogens such as cholera, parasitic intestinal diseases and dysentery. The lack of basic sanitation, resulting from the lack of soap and clean water, allows these infectious diseases to spread like wildfire through displaced populations and crowded shelters. Furthermore, the intersection of food security and parasitism is a crisis of enormous proportions. Economic blockade often leads to severe food shortages and malnutrition. Malnutrition is not simply starvation; it is an immunological catastrophe. A malnourished body lacks the defenses to fight diseases that a healthy person would easily overcome. Moreover, parasitic infections, often transmitted through contaminated food or soil, are much more severe in a malnourished host. A simple intestinal worm that is manageable in a healthy child can lead to severe anemia, stunted growth, and death in a child weakened by famine; this creates a vicious cycle: war creates famine; famine forces people to consume unsafe food and water; weakened immune systems succumb to parasites; and populations infected with disease are unable to work, farm, or rebuild their communities.
This is not a natural disaster; it is a man-made public health emergency. The international community and policymakers must be called upon to recognize that the public health consequences of war and sieges are not “collateral damage” but a predictable and preventable disaster. There must be immediate and unhindered access to medical supplies, water purification tablets, and food aid, and the reconstruction of health infrastructure must be prioritized as a humanitarian emergency (FAO et al., 2022, Firdous et al., 2025).
We cannot claim to value human rights while ignoring the biological weapons of hunger and disease. There is a moral imperative to break this cycle before preventable diseases become the ultimate executioners of vulnerable populations.
References
FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP & WHO 2022. The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2022. Repurposing food and agricultural policies to make healthy diets more affordable. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc0639en.: Rome, FAO.
Firdous N, et al. 2025. Food safety consideration to achieve global health outcomes under food security iIssues. In olistic Health: One Health Horizons: Integrating Biodiversity, Biosecurity, and Sustainable Practices. Unique Scientific Publishers, Faisalabad, Pakistan (ed. S. Farooqi, K. Kholik and M. Zaman), pp. 40-48.
Jafarvand E, Abdollahi Z, Edalati S, Niknam MH & Jalali M 2022. Food security threats for the world and Iran. Iranian journal of culture and health promotion. 6 (3): 443-451.
Marou V, et al. 2024. The impact of conflict on infectious disease: a systematic literature review. Conflict and health. 18 (1): 27.
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