Changing the COVID-19 Narrative in Africa: Using an Implementation Research Lens to Understand Successes and Plan for Challenges Ahead

Binagwaho, Agnès; Frisch, Miriam; Ntawukuriryayo, Jovial Thomas; Hirschhorn, Lisa R.

doi:10.5334/aogh.3001

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Interventions and strategies to prevent widespread transmission of COVID-19 in African countries were based on evidence-based methods (handwashing, social distancing, testing, contact tracing, and lockdowns) adapted from areas first hit: Asian and European countries. 6 Also used was the context from past pandemics and epidemics such as SARS and Ebola. 6 In the early days of the pandemic, it was predicted that Africa will be severely hit.…”

Section: Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“… 6 Also used was the context from past pandemics and epidemics such as SARS and Ebola. 6 In the early days of the pandemic, it was predicted that Africa will be severely hit. Although the number of infections in Africa remains comparatively lower than that in most other parts of the world, this assertion remains debatable.…”

Section: Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is believed that low testing capacity and poor reporting foreshadow the reality of a wider spread. 6 The proactive approach of government and health agencies in Africa to tackle COVID-19 in rural Africa has been met with a number of challenges that can be linked to misinformation or a lack of accurate health information. Factors such as poor living conditions, poor health literacy, ease of access to unambiguous information, influence of culture and religion, demography, and political instability greatly weigh in on the probability of prevention strategies to stay effective.…”

Section: Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some other factors that pose barriers to the implementation of prevention and control strategies in rural Africa include high population density, 7 financial instability of the population, influence of culture, and inadequate research capacity, and cross-border dependence. 6 Financial instability is often met by the need to defy lockdown to make money through the informal sector. Beliefs, culture, knowledge, and memory can also affect decision-making as regards obeying laid down prevention strategies.…”

Section: Poor Living Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID-19 Misinformation and Infodemic in Rural Africa

Okereke

Ukor

Ngaruiya

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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The world has witnessed rapid advancement and changes since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in Wuhan, China. The significant changes experienced during these times remain unprecedented. The African continent has initiated significant responses to curb the spread of the pandemic. However, there is an increasing concern that rural Africa is facing serious challenges in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to the uncertainty if the populations are detached from or in synch with information on COVID-19. The findings reported here suggest that rural Africa is burdened with misinformation and infodemic regarding COVID-19 due to widespread misconceptions and anecdotal reports. It is, therefore, necessary to engage with community leaders to provide awareness campaigns in rural communities to ensure access to reliable information issued by local and international health authorities. It is pertinent to set up avenues that improve health literacy in communities in rural Africa as it is a major determinant of information assimilation.

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Section: Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Poor Living Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

COVID-19 Misinformation and Infodemic in Rural Africa

Okereke

Ukor

Ngaruiya

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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“…At the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, most U.S. universities imposed across-the-board travel bans for faculty and students, and many LMICs countries, such as in Africa, imposed the same for everybody by closing their airports [ 6 7 ]. They presumably did so to prevent a returning traveler spreading the infection to non-travelers.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Health Education Amidst COVID-19: Disruptions and Opportunities

Weine¹,

Bosland²,

Rao³

et al. 2021

Annals of Global Health

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This viewpoint examines the impact of COVID-19 travel bans and remote education on the global health education of students from high-income countries (HIC) and low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) and explores potential opportunities for strengthening global health education based upon more dispersed and equitable practices. Global health is unique in the opportunities it can offer to students during the pandemic if programs can manage and learn from the pandemic’s many challenges. Global health educators can: shift to sustainable remote engagement and mobilize resources globally to facilitate this; collaborate with partners to support the efforts to deal with the current pandemic and to prepare for its next phases; partner in new ways with health care professional students and faculty from other countries; collaborate in research with partners in studies of pandemic related health disparities in any country; and document and examine the impact of the pandemic on health care workers and students in different global contexts. These strategies can help work around pandemic travel restrictions, overcome the limitations of existing inequitable models of engagement, and better position global health education and face future challenges while providing the needed support to LMIC partners to participate more equally.

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The Impact of Health Disparities on COVID-19 Outcomes: Early Findings from a High-Income Country and Two Middle-Income Countries

Hughes

Mbamalu

Okonji

et al. 2021

J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

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The SARS-CoV-2 infection, which causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has affected lives, with very adverse outcomes in specific populations in the United States of America (USA), a high-income country, and two middle-income countries, Brazil and South Africa. This paper aims to discuss the relationship of race/ethnicity with COVID-19-associated factors in the three countries. The information is based on data collected from infectious disease/epidemiological centers in the USA, Brazil, and South Africa. Adverse COVID-19 outcomes have been associated with the burden of exposure and disease, linked to socioeconomic determinants, among specific ethnicities in all three countries. The prevalence of comorbidities before and the likelihood of work-related exposure in the context of COVID-19 infection puts ethnic minorities in the USA and some ethnic majorities and minorities in Brazil and South Africa at greater risk. We envisage that this work will contribute to ongoing discussions related to addressing socioeconomic determinants of health, and the need for stakeholders in various sectors to work on addressing observed health disparities for overall improvement in health and healthcare given the current pandemic.

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Changing the COVID-19 Narrative in Africa: Using an Implementation Research Lens to Understand Successes and Plan for Challenges Ahead

Cited by 7 publications

References 5 publications

COVID-19 Misinformation and Infodemic in Rural Africa

COVID-19 Misinformation and Infodemic in Rural Africa

Global Health Education Amidst COVID-19: Disruptions and Opportunities

The Impact of Health Disparities on COVID-19 Outcomes: Early Findings from a High-Income Country and Two Middle-Income Countries

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