Africa
Overview
At a recent press conference with representatives
of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health
Organization (WHO), the current level of COVID-19
cases across Africa in early April was described
as the "dawn of the outbreak" on the continent,
noting the lack of capacity to treat serious
infections due to the number of ventilators and
other necessary materials.
The virus "is an existential threat to our
continent," said Dr. John Nkengasong, head of
Africa CDC. As of April 2, all but four of
Africa's 54 countries had cases, while local
transmission is reported to have begun in many
places.
Nkengasong said authorities are "aggressively"
looking into procuring equipment such as
ventilators that most African countries
desperately need, and local manufacturing and
repurposing are being explored. "We've seen a lot
of goodwill expressed to supporting Africa from
bilateral and multilateral partners," but "we
still have to see that translate into concrete
action," he said.
The WHO does not know how many ventilators are
available across Africa to help those in
respiratory distress, WHO Regional Director Dr.
Matshidiso Moeti told reporters. "We are trying to
find out this information from country-based
colleagues. [...] What we can say without a doubt
is there is an enormous gap." Some countries have
only a few ventilators. Central African Republic
has just three. WHO official Dr. Zabulon Yoti
added that a small percentage of people who are
infected will need ventilators and about 15 per
cent may need intensive care.
"Even if equipment is obtained, getting them to
countries is a growing challenge with Africa's
widespread travel restrictions, though countries
have made exceptions for cargo or emergency
humanitarian flights," the Associated Press
reports. It goes on to state:
"Simply gauging the number of coronavirus cases in
Africa is a challenge, even in South Africa, the
most developed country on the continent, where
authorities have acknowledged a testing backlog.
"Other countries suffer from the widespread
shortage of testing kits or swabs, though 43
countries in the WHO Africa sub-Saharan region now
have testing capability, up from two in early
February.
"As more African countries impose lockdowns, both
the WHO and Africa CDC expressed concern for the
millions of low-income people who need to go out
daily to earn their living. That's a 'huge
challenge,' Moeti said, noting that hundreds of
thousands of children are now out of school as
well.
"It is too soon to tell how the lockdown in places
like South Africa has affected the number of
cases, she added.
[...]
"The first sub-Saharan African nation to impose a
lockdown, Rwanda, has now extended it by two
weeks, a sign of what might be to come for other
nations. Botswana imposed its own, effective
Friday [April 3]."
This article was published in
Volume 50 Number 11 - April 4, 2020
Article Link:
Africa: Overview
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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