An index of access to essential infrastructure to identify where physical distancing is impossible

Abstract

To identify areas at highest risk of infectious disease transmission in Africa, we develop a physical distancing index (PDI) based on the share of households without access to private toilets, water, space, transportation, and communication technology and weight it with population density. Our results highlight that in addition to improving health systems, countries across Africa, especially in the western part of Africa, need to address the lack of essential domestic infrastructure. Missing infrastructure prevents societies from limiting the spread of communicable diseases by undermining the effectiveness of governmental regulations on physical distancing. We also provide high-resolution risk maps that show which regions are most limited in protecting themselves. We find considerable spatial heterogeneity of the PDI within countries and show that it is highly correlated with detected COVID-19 cases. Governments could pay specific attention to these areas to target limited resources more precisely to prevent disease transmission.

Towards the development of cost-effective point-of-care diagnostic tools for poverty-related infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa

“…In contrast to most high-income countries, the governments of many African nations opted for relatively earlier implementation of lockdowns on public life during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the number of confirmed cases. For instance, all African nations except Burundi closed their schools by March 31, 2020, even when several had no verified cases ( Günther et al, 2022 ). The incapacity of medical infrastructure to handle severe COVID-19 cases and the inadequacy of health systems were pivotal factors contributing to the early and often stringent government regulations in sSA.…”

Driving Sustainable Development: The Power of Vehicle-Based Services in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

“…Zooming into sub-Saharan Africa, travel times from any point to the subsequent settlement with more than 50,000 inhabitants vary between 90 min and 24 h. Combining these estimates with some of the lowest penetration rates for personal means of mobility worldwide [27], it is clear that rural communities in the region face challenges in accessing necessary public services.…”