Displaced populations living in overcrowded settlements present an emerging and severeCOVID-19 public health risk in conflict-affected countries across the globe. InAfghanistan, the scale of the risk is sobering: over 8 million people have beendisplaced since 2012, including 4.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) and 4million returnees from Iran and Pakistan [1]. Manylive in overcrowded urban settlements that lack basic water, sanitation and hygiene(WASH) services, where the virus and associated lockdowns can wreak human, social andeconomic havoc. In addition, forty years of protracted conflict have left the countrywith a fragile health infrastructure – there are less than 2000 isolation bedsnationwide – that may exacerbate the human toll of the disease [2]. The spread of the virus is of immediate concernbecause of the country’s porous border with global hotspot Iran: since January223 157 Afghans have returned, many fleeing the COVID-19 outbreak and settling incrowded urban settlements, presenting severe transmission risks [3]. In this context, this article assesses COVID-19 risk in urbanIDP and returnee settlements by examining a displaced community in the eastern Afghancity of Jalalabad. In doing so, it provides insights into the causes of vulnerabilityand potential mitigating measures.
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