Health and economic implications of the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on women and children in Africa

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues to pose major health and economic challenges for many countries worldwide. Particularly for countries in the African region, the existing precarious health status resulting from weak health systems have made the impact of the pandemic direr. Although the number of the COVID-19 infections in Africa cannot be compared to that of Europe and other parts of the world, the economic and health ramifications cannot be overstated. Significant impacts of the lockdowns during the onset of the pandemic caused disruptions in the food supply chain, and significant declines in income which decreased the affordability and consumption of healthy diets among the poor and most vulnerable. Access and utilization of essential healthcare services by women and children were also limited because of diversion of resources at the onset of the pandemic, limited healthcare capacity, fear of infection and financial constraint. The rate of domestic violence against children and women also increased, which further deepened the inequalities among these groups. While all African countries are out of lockdown, the pandemic and its consequent impacts on the health and socio-economic well-being of women and children persist. This commentary discusses the health and economic impact of the ongoing pandemic on women and children in Africa, to understand the intersectional gendered implications within socio-economic and health systems and to highlight the need for a more gender-based approach in response to the consequences of the pandemic in the Africa region.

Maternal and Child Health Services Utilization During COVID-19 in Eastern Ethiopia

“…In a similar vein, compared to comparable times the previous year, there was a decline in the use of child vaccination services. The decrease in child immunization services since the COVID-19 announcement has also been documented by several studies, including one that was conducted globally in 63,000 health facilities [ 8 ], one that was conducted multi-nationwide in Bangladesh, Nigeria, and South Africa [ 10 ], India [ 13 ], Sub-Saharan Africa [ 14 ], Rwanda [ 16 ], Mozambique [ 18 ], and one in Ethiopia [ 15 , 26 ]. Low child immunization service utilization in Tanzania has been linked to a number of issues, such as disruptions in the procurement and distribution of medical supplies, shortages of vaccines and related supplies, and rescheduling of clinic services [ 25 ].…”

“…A study conducted in Rwanda took MCH data from 30 districts between March and April 2019 and compared it to the same months in 2020 to see if seasonal fluctuations affected service utilization in light of COVID-19. The findings indicated a remarkable decline in prenatal care, institutional deliveries, postnatal care, and childhood immunizations [ 16 ]. In an analysis conducted in the KwaZulu-Natal district of South Africa to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on routine child health services, a decrease in immunization services was noted early in the pandemic.…”

Relationship between workplace violence, job satisfaction, and burnout among healthcare workers in mobile cabin hospitals in China: Effects of perceived stress and work environment

“…However, such a drastic response tremendously increased the pressure on the already overworked and overstretched medical and healthcare system of Chongqing. In addition, this latest outbreak extended the pandemic to three years since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2019, putting both healthcare workers (HCWs) and the general population under extreme economic and psychological pressures ( Yeboah and Yaya, 2023 , Unni, 2020 ). The COVID-19 pandemic exponentially increased the number of patients, which not only increased the workload of medical staff but also put them at a greater risk of workplace violence ( Zhang et al, 2023 ).…”

Genes, inflammatory response, tolerance, and resistance to virus infections in migratory birds, bats, and rodents

“…However, by this time, the virus had already caused 1.7 million deaths and had spread to 216 countries ( 3 ). Globally, there have been severe knock-on effects on the economy, owing to the restrictive measures put in place to attempt to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from spreading, which have increased unemployment, poverty, hunger, and inequalities ( 4 ), particularly in low and middle income countries ( 5 – 10 ).…”