After delays caused by COVID-19 in 2020, our teams were finally able to conduct a comprehensive health risk assessment in Aiderkan, Batken province, to determine the extent of people’s exposure to heavy metal pollution. Initial results revealed chronic exposure to heavy metals, including arsenic and antimony, especially among children. As a result, our teams will initiate activities to treat patients with high levels of heavy metal pollution in 2022, while advocating for stronger clinical and public health measures to treat and prevent the risk of heavy metal pollution.
In addition, our teams in Aiderkan continued to offer treatment for chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, as well as sexual and reproductive health care and screening for cervical and breast cancer. In April, when fighting broke out along the disputed Kyrgyz–Tajik border in Batken province, our teams swiftly mobilized to provide basic health care and psychosocial counseling to displaced people.