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Insights and analysis on international health affairs from Lenias
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Insights and analysis on international health affairs from Lenias
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there is no paradox: rapid public health response helped africa LIMIT COVID-19 transmission31/8/2020 All countries had the same amount of time to prepare for the Covid-19 pandemic. Africa, a continent of 1.3 billion people recorded 4´073 cases and 91 deaths among 42 countries of the WHO Africa region, significantly fewer than the US 163199 cases, 4´793 deaths, Spain, 94´417 cases; 8´189 deaths and Italy, 105´792 cases; 12´430 deaths. The first 70 days of the Covid-19 pandemic since China´s Hubei Province reported the new strain of SARS-Cov-2 virus, has seen global Covid cases reach almost a million and rapidly rising deaths in Europe and the USA. Africa’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has received very little global attention but it is remarkable for the low number of deaths in a region with uniquely susceptible health systems. Adding high case loads of Covid-19 onto Africa´s health systems concurrently dealing with a high burden of infectious and chronic illnesses, malnutrition, inadequate water and sanitation and limited resources should have caused rampant death on a scale surpassing anything seen so far in the worst affected countries today. However, on on 1 April, 70 days since the pandemic began, Africa had successfully averted rapid viral transmission within its communities, widespread illness and high fatality rates that should have inevitably resulted from the region´s close trade links to China and Europe, high mobility of goods and people across its borders and resource limited health systems. The international community has barely noticed this result, but it is worth a closer look to explore what lessons it might offer global public health.
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