Page 15 - Nile Explorer Issue 006

The World Health Organization
(WHO) has already declared the
coronavirus outbreak a global health
emergency - largely because of fears
that poorer countries may not be able
to cope with an outbreak.
“The main reason for this declaration
is not what is happening in China but
what is happening in other countries.
Our greatest concern is the potential
for the virus to spread to countries with
weaker health systems,” said WHO
chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus,
who is from Ethiopia.
The health systems in many African
countries are already struggling with
the existing workload, so can they
deal with another outbreak of a highly
infectious disease? Michael Yao, Immigration officials in China testing fever levels at an entry point
WHO’s head of emergency operations
in Africa, notes that some countries
on the continent “have the minimum of the laboratories, in Senegal has vaccine for coronavirus, public health
to start with - they’re not starting from long been on the front line in medical authorities strongly advise everyone
scratch”. innovation in Africa, including in to get their annual flu shot if they have
“We know how fragile the health yellow fever research. not done so already. In addition to
system is on the African continent The WHO is also sending kits to 29 preventing or mitigating the severity
and these systems are already laboratories on the continent to ensure of flu, the vaccine will simplify the
overwhelmed by many ongoing they have the capacity to deal with the evaluation of patients with flu-
disease outbreaks, so for us it is critical virus and also help test samples from like symptoms if potential cases of
to detect earlier so that we can prevent other countries if needed. The plan is COVID-19 surface in the community.
the spread.” to have at least 36 African countries All said, however, it is not all gloom;
Until early this month, there were equipped to carry out tests specific to many African countries were already
only two laboratories in Africa - one the coronavirus. screening passengers arriving at their
in Senegal and the other in South Researchers are working on a vaccine ports of entry for Ebola. Countries
Africa - which had the reagents to prevent the new coronavirus, and that dealt with the Ebola outbreak
needed to test samples. They have it’s hard to predict when one might still have the isolation facilities and
been working as referral laboratories become available. So, while there is no expertise in controlling infectious
for countries around the region. One diseases. A recent study by Lancet
shows that 74% of African countries
have the capacity to handle influenza
A (H1N1).
While infrastructure, medication
and know-how are vital in dealing
with pandemics, they only remain
a part of the solution. As the Ebola
outbreak proved, health systems and
workers will invariably also rely on
getting locals to adopt simple but
crucial behavioral changes, including
consistent hand washing and ditching
self-medication practices.
Although the detection Ebola is
different from the coronavirus—
Ebola only became infectious when
symptoms, while the coronavirus may
have been transmitted before patients
were showing symptoms—the Ebola
outbreak prepared Africa for such
Medical Reseachers in China epidemics, its effects notwithstanding.

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