Health of 630m children and women hit by conflicts: journal.

KARACHI -- Armed conflicts are becoming increasingly complex and protracted and are threatening to block access to essential health services, affecting at least 630 million women and children, or about eight per cent of the world's population, according to a new four-paper series published by The Lancet on Sunday.

The series, led by academic investigators and partners affiliated with BRANCH (Bridging Research and Action in Conflict Settings for the Health of Women and Children) Consortium, analyses existing evidence with new modelling and insights from a range of local research partners, humanitarian agencies and civil society organisations.

The authors of the series have highlighted the failure of the global community to prioritise women's and children's health in areas of conflict, and called for an international commitment from humanitarian actors and donors to confront political and security challenges, together with consensus on a framework for identifying high-priority interventions to reach the most vulnerable women and children with the best care possible.

'The new estimates provide compelling evidence of the enormous indirect toll of modern warfare caused by easily preventable infectious diseases, malnutrition, sexual violence, and poor mental health, as well as the destruction of basic services such as water and medical facilities,' said Prof Zulfiqar Bhutta from the Centre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto in Canada and the Institute for Global Health and Development, The Aga Khan University, who led the series.

According to a series of papers published by The Lancet, about a third of those affected live in Pakistan, Nigeria and India

'Today, more than half of the world's women and children are living in countries experiencing active conflict. The international community cannot continue to ignore their plight. It's time for a radical rethink of the global response that confronts challenges to insecurity, access, politics, coordination, and the logistics of delivering high-priority interventions to women and children in...