Abstract:
Owing to the capricious political and
economic conditions of Afghanistan during the past few decades, the burden of
communicable disease, especially bloodborne and sexually transmitted infections,
has been steadily mounting in this population. Afghan refugees who sought asylum
and settled in foreign countries encountered many a barrier to standard health
care, which led to the establishment of
several epidemics in the refugee population as well. In recent years, repatriation of
these refugees back to their homeland has
raised new concerns about control and
prevention of potential epidemics in the
returning and indigenous Afghan populations. Mixing of existing infections, as well
as of risk behaviors and practices, in the
two populations, if left unattended, can
lead to unforeseen, uncontrollable outcomes.