Efforts to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: potential entry points for neglected tropical diseases

Abstract

Background The damage inflicted by the coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic upon humanity is and will continue to be considerable. Unprecedented progress made in global health over the past 20 years has reverted and economic growth has already evaporated, giving rise to a global recession, the likes of which we may not have experienced since the Second World War. Our aim is to draw the attention of the neglected tropical disease (NTD) community towards some of the major emerging economic opportunities which are quickly appearing on the horizon as a result of COVID-19. Main text This scoping review relied on a literature search comprised of a sample of articles, statements, and press releases on initiatives aimed at mitigating the impact of COVID-19, while supporting economic recovery. Of note, the donor scenario and economic development agendas are highly dynamic and expected to change rapidly as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, as are donor and lender priorities. Conclusions The NTD community, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), will need to work quickly, diligently, and in close collaboration with decision-makers and key stakeholders, across sectors at national and international level to secure its position. Doing so might enhance the odds of grasping potential opportunities to access some of the massive resources that are now available in the form of contributions from corporate foundations, trust funds, loans, debt relieve schemes, and other financial mechanisms, as part of the ongoing and future economic development agendas and public health priorities driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper should serve as a starting point for the NTD community to seek much needed financial support in order to sustain and revitalize control and elimination efforts pertaining to NTDs in LMICs.

Vulnerabilities to and the Socioeconomic and Psychosocial Impacts of the Leishmaniases: A Review

“…22,23,58 This is especially important as most programming is financed by donors whose operations have been dramatically hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic that will impact present and future NTD work. [52][53][54][55]174 Additionally, competing priorities in global health across diseases and programs accompanied by limited resources 175,176 justifies a call to leverage opportunities to integrate efforts to combat the leishmaniases with other diseases, such as HIV and malaria, that have more funding. 176,177 In light of the long-term severe disfigurement from CL leading to stigmatization, social exclusion, discrimination and psychosocial impacts, especially on rural women, which negatively affect social and economic opportunities, integrating mental health support and community educational interventions as the WHO has championed is warranted.…”

“…29 Although the global population living in poverty over the past two decades in low-and middle-income countries has been declining, it is necessary to assess persistence in vulnerability for regions where leishmaniasis is still largely prevalent. Fourth, the disruption of interventions caused by the raging COVID-19 pandemic threatens to set back years of progress on NTDs and related SDGs poverty targets because of synergistic exacerbating effects [52][53][54][55] and further threatens the attainment of the 2030 NTDs Roadmap. Fifth, 17% of the global burden of infectious diseases is from vector-borne diseases including the leishmaniases and the effect of climate change on these diseases is likely to get worse.…”

Towards global control of parasitic diseases in the Covid-19 era: One Health and the future of multisectoral global health governance

“…While it is not yet possible to assess the full impact of Covid-19 on the global control of human parasitic infections, the negative consequences will almost certainly be profound. Anticipated setbacks include, but are certainly not limited to: (a) excess morbidity and mortality caused by interruptions to transnational, national, and subnational efforts for malaria and NTD control, including MDA programmes ( Hogan et al, 2020 ); (b) already-fragile health systems that have diverted precious resources—including frontline health workers, healthcare administrators, and medical supplies—to the Covid-19 effort ( Abdela et al, 2020 ; Chaumont et al, 2020 ); (c) delayed presentation to care for the evaluation of febrile illnesses, including malaria ( Brooke et al, 2020 ); (d) freezing of global supply chains for antimalarials and antihelmintics, LLINs, insecticides, and diagnostic tests, due to government lockdown measures, international trade restrictions, and/or lost funding streams, e.g., the retrenchment of UK Official Development Assistance ( de Souza et al, 2020 ; Ehrenberg et al, 2021 ; Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2021 ); (e) further impoverishment and health inequity within populations most vulnerable to parasitic diseases; (f) loss of research productivity, including for urgently needed medical countermeasures (e.g., vaccines), in addition to point-of-care diagnostic tests for both clinical use and epidemiologic surveillance within low-resource settings ( Adepoju, 2020 ; Tchuem Tchuenté et al, 2018 ); and (g) postponing the introduction of other neglected diseases into the official WHO NTD portfolio. By mid-2020, interim advice from the WHO recommended for core services (i.e.…”

The role of mental health to overcoming the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic

“…The current coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the order of social life and various financial losses have occurred in various sectors, ranging from the health, educational, social, economic sectors and others. (1) Meanwhile, the efforts made to contain this pandemic have sometimes raised various obstacles related to norms, ethics and culture that have been going on and have deep roots. (2) Some of the efforts made by policy holders, especially in the health sector, have greatly contributed to the response to the pandemic.…”