COVID-19 and multiple crises in Afghanistan: an urgent battle

Essar, Mohammad Yasir; Hasan, Mohammad Mehedi; Islam, Zarmina; Riaz, Mehr Muhammad Adeel; Aborode, Abdullahi Tunde; Ahmad, Shoaib

doi:10.1186/s13031-021-00406-0

Cited by 37 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Alongside the Israel-Palestine conflict, new issues crowd the regional agenda, from the crisis in Yemen, to conflict in Syria, the GCC split, and the Iran-Saudi rivalry alongside the continuing impasse over Iran’s nuclear programme. The critical situation in Afghanistan, whose health infrastructure has been debilitated by decades of war, poses additional security challenges to MENA states [ 49 ]. The Coronavirus pandemic has intervened at a moment when the region had reached a low point in terms of insecurity and regional fragmentation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Middle East and COVID-19: time for collective action

Fawcett

2021

Global Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Revised: Nov 6 2021The shortfalls of multilateral and regional organizations in respect of handling the COVID-19 pandemic have been well rehearsed by scholars and policy makers in multiple publications and statements. While the World Health Organization (WHO) and its regional offices have coordinated global responses, regional organizations, like the European Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or African Union, have played complementary roles. However, the response of different regions has varied, revealing multiple deficits in the structures of regional governance. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a region affected by chronic ongoing conflicts and serious inequalities in health and welfare provision, reflected in the absence of concerted responses to the pandemic. Its young population has meant lower comparative mortality rates, but the socio-economic spill-over effects are grave in terms of interrupted education, high unemployment, particularly in respect to vulnerable communities like refugees and migrant workers. With the current situation remaining critical, this paper reviews the impact of COVID-19 on MENA and considers the variable performance of states and institutions to the pandemic, highlighting the shortfalls, but also opportunities for collective action. Drawing on data from the WHO, United Nations (UN), regional organizations, media and secondary sources, it first discusses the wider global-regional context; second, reviews the actions of regional bodies, like the League of Arab States, Gulf Cooperation Council and the cross-regional Organization of Islamic Cooperation; and third, looks at some country-specific situations where both evidence of good practice and the absence of appropriate regional level provision have exposed deep regional divides. It concludes with a call for more collaboration between states and international organizations: better regional coordination is urgently needed to supplement existing multilateral efforts. A collective local response to the COVID-19 pandemic could help transcend regional divides and spur much-needed security cooperation in other areas.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Middle East and COVID-19: time for collective action

Fawcett

2021

Global Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…More importantly, efforts such as counseling services and a mental health hotline are to be considered for HCPs who face high levels of burnout. [26][27][28] In conclusion, Pakistan is currently facing multiple outbreaks of Dengue and COVID-19 that have exacerbated challenges for a weak healthcare system. Coupled with socioeconomic disparities, financial challenges, a slow vaccination rate, multiple clinical similarities, weak social distancing and increasing workload for HCPs, it is becoming difficult to mitigate these outbreaks.…”

Section: Recommendations and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dengue Virus Cases Surge Amidst COVID-19 in Pakistan: Challenges, Efforts and Recommendations

Islam

Mohanan

Bilal

et al. 2022

IDR

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pakistan is currently facing two outbreaks, dengue and COVID-19; both have strained its healthcare system resulting in multiple concerns including the co-diagnosis of two. Due to poor healthcare capacity, low vaccination rate, increasing COVID-19 variants, socioeconomic disparities, and misinformation, it is inevitable that implications will prove to be damaging to both healthcare workers and civilians. Among these challenges, it is important to note the need for stronger epidemiological surveillance for both COVID-19 and dengue and the implementation of public health measures without endangering sources of livelihood. To sustain this, cooperation between WHO and Pakistan's government must continue through smart lockdowns, dengue awareness campaigns, and double laboratory procedures.

show abstract

“…Consequently, the response to multiple infectious disease threats, including the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, has been poor because of a lack of resources and inadequate infrastructure. 1 , 2 In August 2021, the Western coalition forces completely withdrew from Afghanistan, which further exacerbated the shortage of critical medicines and supplies. 3 Qatar was the first stop for a large proportion of evacuees en route to their final destination.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%