Things must not fall apart: the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children in sub-Saharan Africa
Date
2020Author
Coker, Modupe
Folayan, Morenike O.
Michelow, Ian C.
Oladokun, Regina E.
Torbunde, Nguavese
Sam-Agudu, Nadia A.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Zero to 19 year-old children in sub-Saharan Africa bear a disproportionate proportion of the global burden of communicable and
non-communicable diseases. Significant public health gains have been made in the fight against these diseases, however, factors
such as underequipped health systems, disease outbreaks, conflict, and political instability continue to challenge prevention and
control. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) introduces new challenges to public health programs in sub-Saharan Africa. Of particular concern are programs targeting
major conditions among children, such as undernutrition, vaccine-preventable pneumonia and diarrhea, malaria, tuberculosis, HIV,
and sickle cell disease. This article focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on child health in sub-Saharan Africa. We
review the epidemiology of major pediatric diseases and, referencing modeling projections, discuss the short- and long-term
impact of the pandemic on major disease control. We deliberate on potential complications of SARS-CoV-2 co-infections/comorbidities and identify critical social and ethical issues. Furthermore, we highlight the paucity of COVID-19 data and clinical trials
in this region and the lack of child participants in ongoing studies. Lastly, approaches and interventions to mitigate the pandemic’s
impact on child health outcomes are discussed.
Link to resource
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-020-01174-yCollections
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