Pandemic in Africa: 80% two countries will register deaths and the director of the WHO fears overload of the health system | Coronavirus

Not on April 1, 21 two 54 African countries, or equivalent to 38% of the continent, tinha mortes hair novo coronavírus. One more time, not May 1st, that amount increased for 43, or equivalent to 80% of Africa.

“Let us see more serious cases, I will totally overload or system,” said Michel Yao, director of emergencies at the WHO regional desk in Africa, not Congo (Brazzaville), in an interview with G1.

As deaths from Covid-19 will increase more than once is no period analyzed by the report: from 185, not on April 1, to 1,636 on May 1. Seven countries in Africa have more than a thousand cases in doença.

Only 11 African countries have not reported any deaths: Eritreia, Ilhas Comores, Ilhas Seychelles, Lesotho, Madagascar, Moçambique, Namíbia, Central African Republic, Rwanda, Sudão do Sul e Uganda, e só o Lesoto has not registered any case of Covid-19 tied or May 1st day.

Second Michel Yao, a feito survey by the WHO points out that, in the entire sub-Saarian region, more than Algeria – a total of 47 countries -, at the rate of 10 ICU litigation for every 10 milhões de pessoas. “In Europe, halfway through 100 [leitos]”says WHO director.

We are also missing medical no continent: only about 2,000 professionals are trained to use UTI equipment in all or territory.

Or African country with the most deaths and precisely to Algeria, onde, tied on May 1, 450 haviam died of Covid-19. Depois vem o Egito, com 392.

For Jimmy Whitworth, professor of international public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, numbers can be explained with the simple fact that you are the first country to report cases, and, for that reason, you are more adia na “linha do tempo pandemic.

“We are not in the initial stage of the epidemic [no resto do continente], in that the number of cases and deaths is increasing rapidly, “Whitworth explains.” It seems that foi for or north of Africa first, now we are selling cases in all or continent, “he says.

In addition, it remained small, as a number of cases in Africa went on to represent what or what, in percent, in relation to the rest of the world: it rose from 0.67% to 1.2% in two total cases. Either increase in the capacity of testagem to see how the numbers are rising, but, of fact, or viruses are falling behind, Yao says.

“We can see isso agora – for two days we have a medium of a thousand cases per day,” says Yao.

He states that he is most concerned about certain regions of the continent, such as West Africa, that he has recorded the highest number of cases. “To Costa do Marfim, Senegal, Ghana, the same as strong control measures is increasing cases,” he said. “In Central Africa, we fear the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and, not long ago, Tanzânia.”

In addition, there is a lack of doctors, equipment and poverty – according to the United Nations, 33 two 47 least developed countries in the world are in Africa -, or a continent needs to deal, also, with other difficulties at the same time as it faces a pandemic :

• Refugees and displaced people

Second to the UN refugee agency near a third world refugee population – equivalent to 6.3 milhões de pessoas – is in sub-Saarian Africa, more than Algeria. The refugee camps that harbor a lot of heavy weight are either locals where they are or viruses can easily spread, and WHO expressed concern about these places.

O Sudão do Sul, for example, fe in its territory 1.7 milhão of internally displaced people, além de outros 300 thousand refugees who fugiram from other African countries like o Sudão, to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the Central African Republic and Ethiopia .

For Michel Yao, the prevention measures of Covid-19 – such as maintaining or distancing oneself and washing as often as possible – are even more difficult to implement in those places, where they are in precarious conditions.

“We are working with the International Migration Organization and the refugee agency with less hair to increase the interventions to control or supply and help these particular populations,” he said.

• Difficulty of access to territories

Yao explains that, in certain regions, most of the international agencies manage to check.

“In many places where we have conflicts – either Mali, or north of Nigéria, or Sudão do Sul -, those places or critical point or access. Access part of the area. Not north of Mali, it is a challenge for any travel agency, it becomes difficult to increase the interventions, “he said.

“It is difficult to enter places where people are out of place, less facilities. We will take people out of place in Burkina Faso, [por exemplo]How to make sure that all these preventive measures are adjoined, that they continue to be accessed or basic? “he asks.

No leste do Congo, for example, has also been a “great challenge because of access and insecurity,” Yao explains.

“The Democratic Republic of the Congo, in addition to conflicts, still has problems, in some areas, or Ebola happening,” says Michel Yao. Three days before WHO declare an epidemic officially ended as a country, no longer past, a new case detected. A organizatio ainda tem equipes para o combat à doença no country.

No Niger, an assortment of polio was identified not the end of April, and it is also endemic to some regions of the continent. Second to WHO, most people will die for the reason that the hair ebola during the event from 2014 to 2016.

For this reason, the WHO is advising countries to stop with the vaccination campaigns during a pandemic. “Or Covid’s assortment may last longer in Africa, we cannot give ourselves the luxury of stopping the services, senão, we can be more dead by that doença [malária] I do that to Covid em si “, he affirms.” We cannot lose or that we have attained now Africa. ”

Yao accredits that the slow, pandemic progress of the continent does not reveal containment measures that have been adopted in most of Africa, such as confinement, or dating of schools and public places.

No more past, or WHO emergency director, Michael Ryan, praised initiatives in Africa do Sul to conter or viruses. “It is interesting how Africa do Sul is putting doença under control,” disse. “And as African countries I am, in general, showing or walking. The strategy in Africa of the South was based on preparation, primary prevention, confinement and intense vigilance,” he said.

Segundo Ryan, 67 mobile foram laboratories located around the country and 28,000 community health workers trained to detect cases. 1.2 milhão de testes foram feitos, with 2.7% of positive cases. “Or that it is incredible – that quantity of tests for that return”, disse Ryan.

Ryan also praised the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for not fighting or ebola. “I understand that, in general, we need to take advantage of the capabilities that exist in Africa, innovation, science. We need to connect scientists, laboratories, and clinicians around Africa,” disse.