Unexpected low burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in sub-Saharan Africa region despite disastrous predictions: reasons and perspectives

Tcheutchoua, Daryl Nzokou; Tankeu, Aurel T.; Angong, Dominic Leandry Wouna; Agoons, Batakeh B.; Nguemnang, Nathan Yves Yanwou; Djeunga, Hugues Clotaire Nana; Kamgno, Joseph

doi:10.11604/pamj.2020.37.352.25254

Cited by 19 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Ivermectin administration for the control of parasitic diseases (mostly from Africa) also show reduced COVID-19 case numbers compared to countries without [9,10]. In our patients, Ivermectin appeared to have positive effects across categories, from mild to critically ill patients, with the response being more rapid than our previous line of care where just standard of care and Azithromycin was used.…”

Section: Epidemiological Reports From Countries With Routine Massmentioning

confidence: 48%

“…There are also epidemiological reports of reductions in COVID-19 case counts, from some countries with widespread Ivermectin administration [9,10]. In all, there is a rapidly growing evidence base on the efficacy of Ivermectin, a broadspectrum FDA-approved antiparasitic in COVID-19, which could be a potential game changer in bringing the pandemic under control, considering that the drug is cheap and widely available.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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"Clinical Improvement in COVID-19 After Use of Ivermectin: A Case Series"

Omololu

2021

OAJBS

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Background:The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues unabated worldwide, with a paucity of effective medications against the disease. Ivermectin has been shown to inhibit in-vitro replication of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2), with several studies demonstrating clinical effectiveness. We report a case series of COVID-19 patients with rapid symptomatic improvement after commencing Ivermectin.Case Presentation: Consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted in our facility between September and November 2020 received Ivermectin plus standard of care and followed up till clinical improvement or outcome (survived or died). Nine of our patients received Ivermectin plus standard of care during this period, with significant clinical improvement noted across all categories of patients, which was noted ≤3 days after commencement in 3(37.5%) and >3 days in 5(62.5%). Eight (88.9%) of our patients survived, with 1(11.1%) death. Conclusion:There is an urgent need for local clinical trials to assess Ivermectin's effectiveness especially in resource poor areas.

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Section: Epidemiological Reports From Countries With Routine Massmentioning

confidence: 48%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

"Clinical Improvement in COVID-19 After Use of Ivermectin: A Case Series"

Omololu

2021

OAJBS

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“…Since then, COVID-19 has spread across the world, on all continents, leading the World Health Organization to officially declare the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic [4]. In Africa the first case was recorded on February 27, 2020 in Algeria; indeed, the first cases in Sub-Saharan Africa were mainly imported from Europe followed by a local transmission and the virus spread throughout the continent [5].In Cameroon, the first case of COVID-19 was identified on 6 March 2020, when a French national returning from Europe tested positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 [6]. Thereafter, a COVID-19 task force was formed, and international borders were closed for incoming passengers by 18 March 2020.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthcare- Seeking Behaviours and the Impact of Covid-19 preventive Measures on Anxiety and Depression among Survivors of Covid-19 at the Buea Regional Hospital Cameroon: A Case Control Study

Yusinyu

Cyrile

Georges

et al. 2022

Preprint

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BackgroundThe outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic led to the implementation of preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus. The fear of contracting the virus and some infection prevention and control measures have been associated with poor mental and brain health outcomes .We therefore assessed the health care- seeking behaviours and the impact of COVID-19 preventive measures on depression and anxiety among survivors of COVID-19 at the Buea Regional Hospital. Materials and MethodsThe study design was an unmatched case control study. Cases were identified from health facility records and the controls were patients who are inhabitants of same community. Data was collected using an online google questionnaire and a physical questionnaire which was self-administered .We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to assess anxiety and depression. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 and a P-value of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.ResultsWe recruited 245 participants with the mean age for our participants being 32.89±13.17years. With regards to Health care -seeking behaviours 78.9 vs 75.1% (OR 1.24, CI: 0.65-2.38) sought care from the hospital among the cases and controls respectively. Survivors of COVID-19 were about 12 times more likely to seek for conventional medication as a treatment for their disease (OR 11.96, 95% CI: 6.25-22.90, p=0.000) compared to the controls. Survivors of COVID-19 presented with higher mean scores for depression and anxiety compared to the controls respectively (7.74±3.93 vs. 4.01±4.48, p=0.000), (6.84±3.87 vs. 3.10±3.75, p=0.000). Participants who wore face mask were 3 times more likely to be anxious and depressed than those who did not. Factors associated with adverse mental health outcomes were losing a love one due to COVID-19, quarantine and social isolation among the casesConclusions Health care seeking behaviour was more appropriate in the cases than the controls. COVID-19 preventive measures were associated with a negative psychosocial impact among COVID-19 survivors; thus public health officials should implement measures targeting psychosocial support of the population

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“…The COVID-19 pandemic was suggested to be more serious in developing and least developed countries struggling with the problem of ineffective waste disposal, open defecation, poor sanitation, and limited access to clean drinking water [ 15 - 16 ]. Surprisingly, the death toll from COVID-19 in developing and least developed countries is extremely low [ 17 ]. The hypothesis examined in this work is that a lower level of COVID-19 cases and mortality occurs in countries with a low sanitation level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Fecal-Oral Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Due to Low Sanitation Conditions Contribute to Low Mortality Rates From COVID-19

Rothschild¹

2021

Cureus

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Background: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic generated by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The primary infection site is mucosal surfaces, mainly the lungs and the intestine, where epithelial cells can be infected. COVID-19 has spread throughout the world, causing millions of deaths and hundreds of millions of confirmed infections. Despite the global spread of SARS-CoV-2, there are extreme differences between countries in mortality rates and confirmed infections.Methods: Pearson correlations and a t-test were performed on data from 137 countries in order to test the correlation between number of deaths from diarrheal diseases (pre-COVID-19 pandemic data) as a marker for countries' sanitation level, and the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths per million.Results: It was found that countries' prevalence of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths per million are statistically correlated with their sanitation level.Conclusions: The hypothesis proposed in this article is that the low mortality rates from COVID-19 in countries where the level of sanitation is low are due to fecal-oral infection of the population by SARS-CoV-2, rather than infection of the respiratory system. This hypothesis is supported by the protective effect of the low sanitation level presented in this work and the fact that lung infection by SARS-CoV-2 can cause severe pathology, while infection in the intestine generally causes minor or no symptoms.

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Unexpected low burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in sub-Saharan Africa region despite disastrous predictions: reasons and perspectives

Cited by 19 publications

References 52 publications

"Clinical Improvement in COVID-19 After Use of Ivermectin: A Case Series"

"Clinical Improvement in COVID-19 After Use of Ivermectin: A Case Series"

Healthcare- Seeking Behaviours and the Impact of Covid-19 preventive Measures on Anxiety and Depression among Survivors of Covid-19 at the Buea Regional Hospital Cameroon: A Case Control Study

Does Fecal-Oral Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Due to Low Sanitation Conditions Contribute to Low Mortality Rates From COVID-19

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