Moving from rhetoric to action: how Africa can use scientific evidence to halt the COVID-19 pandemic
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COMMENTARY
Open Access
Moving from rhetoric to action: how Africa can use scientific evidence to halt the COVID-19 pandemic Olushayo Oluseun Olu* , Joy Luba Lomole Waya, Sylvester Maleghemi, John Rumunu, David Ameh and Joseph Francis Wamala
Abstract The ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 has spread rapidly to all countries of the world. Africa is particularly predisposed to an escalation of the pandemic and its negative impact given its weak economy and health systems. In addition, inadequate access to the social determinants of health such as water and sanitation and socio-cultural attributes may constrain the implementation of critical preventive measures such as hand washing and social distancing on the continent. Given these facts, the continent needs to focus on targeted and high impact prevention and control strategies and interventions which could break the chain of transmission quickly. We conclude that the available body of scientific evidence on the coronavirus disease 2019 holds the key to the development of such strategies and interventions. Going forward, we recommend that the African research community should scale up research to provide scientific evidence for a better characterization of the epidemiology, transmission dynamics, prevention and control of the virus on the continent. Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, Scientific evidence, Prevention, Control, Africa
Background The ongoing pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has severely impacted global health, economy and politics in different patterns in various continents. The disease which is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was declared a public health event of international concern on 30th January 2020 [1] and a pandemic on 11th March 2020 [2]. As of 10th August 2020, 19 462 112 confirmed cases and 722 285 deaths of the disease had been reported from all countries, areas and territories of the world [3]. Africa reported its first case in Egypt on 14th February 2020 through an importation and by 10th August 2020, all 54 African countries had * Correspondence: [email protected] World Health Organization COVID-19 preparedness and response team, Juba, Republic of South Sudan
reported 1 035 932 confirmed cases and 22 920 deaths [4, 5]. Local community transmission has been established in most of these African countries. While Africa remains one of the least affected regions, recent developments and data from within the continent and other regions particularly Europe and America show that the numbers of cases and deaths can grow exponentially and overwhelm even the best of systems in a relatively short time if effective prevention and control measures are not instituted on time [6, 7]. The fear, anxiety and panic induced by the rapid spread of the pandemic prompted several African countries to take drastic actions some of which are not necessarily based on scientific evidence. Some countries closed their air, sea and land borders and
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