COVID-19 Pandemic Silver Lining in the Context of Infectious Disease Control Africa

Abstract

Corona Virus-19 disease (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory syndrome caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since the first reported cases in Wuhan China, COVID-19 has had a negative impact across the globe, namely shutdown of schools, Air travel as well as lockdown of cities and countries. It has also stretched the health care system to the brink of collapse, particularly in some European countries and North America. Africa, surprisingly, continues to experience a low COVID-19 burden despite having a weak health care system. Some of the strategies currently being implemented to control COVID-19, face masks and hand hygiene, are not disease-specific. This implies that the benefits of controlling COVID-19 are likely to transcend beyond this global pandemic. This, therefore, raises important questions on the plausible impact of COVID-19 control strategies on other infectious disease transmitted via person-to-person contact. Review of studies conducted so far has revealed that strategies beinig used in the fight against COVID-19 could reduce the incidence of soil-transmitted helminths, diarrhoeal disease and respiratory disease. This indicates that the present increased mobilization of resources towards provision of hand hygiene facilities and education during the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to behavioural change and help in the fight against gastrointestinal parasitic infections and respiratory diseases that are still endemic in sub-Saharan Africa including Kenya. Non- compliance to control measures may, however, undermine plausible benefits. Governments must therefore seize this opportunity and leverage the attention to personal hygiene as highlighted by COVID-19 to reinforce gastrointestinal parasitic infections and respiratory diseases control. Additionally, efforts to estimate disease incidence are needed to adopt control measures and ensure already limited resources are utilized effectively for control of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases endemic in Kenya and other African countries.