‘Fighting a Global War Using a Local Strategy’: contextualism in COVID-19 response in Africa

Abstract

With a considerably high level of poverty, high population density and relatively fragile health systems, most African countries have a predominance of factors that could contribute to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these challenges, the continent has shown capacity in its response to the pandemic. This may be related to the continent’s experience in responding to several infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola disease, Lassa fever and cholera. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, several local innovations have been developed and implemented. These innovations take into consideration unique circumstances in countries such as multiple government levels, belief in traditional medicine, limited access to medical supplies and others. This paper describes the various strategies developed in African countries across leadership and coordination, surveillance, laboratory capacity, case management, infection, prevention and control, risk communications, points of entry, research, logistics and supply chain, partnership, food security and education. We highlight the impact of these strategies on the response so far, and lessons that other regions across the world can learn from Africa’s response to COVID-19. Finally, we recommend the urgent need for increased investment in African health and social institutions to enable the development of African-owned and led strategies in response to disease outbreaks.

Public risk perception and behaviours towards COVID-19 during the first and second waves in Nigeria: a secondary data analysis

“…Predictions assumed that low-to-middle-income countries with health challenges and fragile health systems would more likely be heavily impacted by the virus 1. Contrary to these expectations, however, many African countries, including Nigeria, witnessed a different trajectory of the outbreak and so far have outperformed expectations 2…”

“…1 Contrary to these expectations, however, many African countries, including Nigeria, witnessed a different trajectory of the outbreak and so far have outperformed expectations. 2 …”

The Interface Between the Lassa Virus Epidemic, the Covid-19 Pandemic, and the Food Environment in Nigeria: A One Health Approach

“…The COVID-19 virus spreads (CDC, 2021;WHO, 2021c;Ochu et al, 2021) primarily through breathing in air when close to an infected person who is exhaling small droplets and particles that contain the virus or droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose. It can also be transmitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes small droplets and particles containing the virus on the eyes, nose, or mouth, or through air-borne; faecal-oral sources, mother-to-newborn; nosocomial routes, on fomites (contaminated surfaces), and through people to animals.…”

The Development of a Community-based COVID-19 Public Health Intervention in Rural Ghana

“…4 Given the diversity of demography, sociocultural and economic circumstances across nations of the world, and that the evidence-based recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) are framed at a global level, each country and locality must contextualise and adapt these recommendations. 13 The reality of such contextual differences has resulted in in-country innovations and adaptations to the pandemic response, including local solutions such as mobile-driven self-diagnosis applications, an X-ray-based self-screening platform, mobile-based screening and mapping tools, lowcost methods for the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) being implemented across Sub-Saharan Africa. 13 Such innovation, driven by urgent need and mostly without in-built evaluation, highlights how important it is to generate evidence on effective community-speci c interventions to halt the spread of COVID, as well as alleviate its impact on health and socio-economic conditions including for rural citizens.…”

“…13 The reality of such contextual differences has resulted in in-country innovations and adaptations to the pandemic response, including local solutions such as mobile-driven self-diagnosis applications, an X-ray-based self-screening platform, mobile-based screening and mapping tools, lowcost methods for the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) being implemented across Sub-Saharan Africa. 13 Such innovation, driven by urgent need and mostly without in-built evaluation, highlights how important it is to generate evidence on effective community-speci c interventions to halt the spread of COVID, as well as alleviate its impact on health and socio-economic conditions including for rural citizens. In Ghana, the government has historically provided scant support to rural communities.…”