Plans for Prevention Africa CDC is playing a key role in controlling the spread of COVID-19 on the continent
COVID-19 in Africa, which is mainly responsible for six tasks: surveillance, infection prevention and control, clinical management, laboratory diagnosis, risk communication, supply chain and medical supplies procurement. The other one is the Africa CDC’S Incident Management System, which links the AU member countries and provides weekly information on the epidemic. On February 22, an emergency meeting of African health ministers on COVID-19, coordinated by the Africa CDC, was convened to work out strategies for responding to the COVID-19 outbreak. A joint declaration on Africa’s response was issued after the meeting.
The Africa CDC has developed a detailed plan to combat the epidemic, focusing mainly on containing the spread of the virus, fatalities and social unrest caused by the epidemic, along with a detailed budget.
The Africa CDC has taken specific measures to execute the plan. In terms of testing, the Africa CDC has been supporting member countries to improve their testing capabilities, such as providing testing kits. In terms of surveillance, the Africa CDC has also carried out a number of training activities, including surveillance at entry ports and of events within countries. In addition, most airlines across Africa have received training on prevention and control of COVID-19.
Risk communication plays an important role in the prevention and control of epidemics. As early as January, the Africa CDC organized training on risk communication. At the same time, it has also done a great deal of work on prevention and control in hospitals and medical institutions, to prevent health workers from being infected while treating COVID-19 cases. In terms of clinical treatment, the Africa CDC provides weekly online training for medical staff.
In addition, the Africa CDC provides focused and targeted support to meet the needs of its member countries. This includes the supply of testing kits and dispatch of
experts to countries in need.
The Africa CDC has also developed COVID-19 prevention and control guidelines in order to guide the member countries on the prevention and control of the virus.
Challenges
Since the first case was reported in Egypt on February 15, most cases in African countries were imported cases only, including Africans with a history of foreign travel, but recently more and more nations in Africa have reported local transmissions with a potential trend toward a large-scale outbreak. While many African countries have taken steps, most of them are not ready to deal with the outbreak of COVID-19, due to a lack of medical supplies and equipment such as masks, personal protective equipment and ventilators.
In terms of testing kits, they mainly come from Africa CDC, the World Health Organization, and donations from China. As the number of cases rises, more testing will be required, so the countries need continued supply of testing kits. If the COVID19 epidemic spreads across the continent, weak medical facilities and services will pose a great challenge for Africa.
Suggestions
Some countries in Africa have experience in dealing with infectious diseases such as Ebola and malaria, and this experience is valuable in dealing with COVID-19. There are a number of teams in Africa that have been at the forefront of combating infectious diseases and are always prepared for various outbreaks.
In order to control an infectious disease, work should be done in three areas: management of infection sources, cutting off the route of transmission, and protecting vulnerable people.
The basic prevention and control strategy for cholera, malaria and COVID-19 is the same, so African public health professionals do have a lot of experience in this regard. However, the implementation of the strategy needs to be further strengthened.
In the entire prevention and control strategy, early detection, early reporting, early isolation and early treatment are crucial to fundamentally check the spread of the virus in a country. Similarly, social distancing must be an important part of the measures. Preventing gatherings, closing cities and halting social activities to reduce the flow and concentration of large numbers of people are effective prevention measures.
The route of transmission of COVID-19 has become very clear. So, it is necessary for people to wear masks rightly if going outside and wash hands correctly in order to reduce the probability of infection.
At present, a COVID-19 vaccine is not available and there is no specific drug to treat the patients. In this situation, knowing and following the prevention measures is key to protecting ourselves.
COVID-19 is a problem faced by the whole world, and no country or individual is immune to it. Only when countries all over the world work together can we cope with this global challenge. CA