Looming threat of COVID-19 infection in Africa: act collectively, and fast
John N Nkengasong, Wessam Mankoula
Published:February 27, 2020DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30464-5
Because of the high volume of air traffic and trade between China and Africa,1 Africa is at a high risk for the introduction and spread of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); although only Egypt has reported the first case, from a non-national.2 The greatest concern for public health experts is whether COVID-19 will become a pandemic, with sustained year-round transmission, similar to influenza, as is now being observed in several countries.3 What might happen to Africa—where most countries have weak health-care systems, including inadequate surveillance and laboratory capacity, scarcity of public health human resources, and limited financial means—if a pandemic occurs? With neither treatment nor vaccines, and without pre-existing immunity, the effect might be devastating because of the multiple health challenges the continent already faces: rapid population growth and increased movement of people; existing endemic diseases, such as human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, and malaria; remerging and emerging infectious pathogens such as Ebola virus disease, Lassa haemorrhagic fever, and others; and increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases.
