How should Indonesia consider its neglected tropical diseases in the COVID-19 era? Hopes and challenges (Review)

Abstract

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, some countries, including Indonesia, have faced a double burden with regards to disease control. As Indonesia is a tropical country, it serves as a suitable host for disease vectors and multiple microorganisms of causative agents of disease. In total, five of the neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) should be a consideration in Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic, including leprosy, yaws, filariasis, soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis. The present review summarises the preparedness of Indonesia in facing NTDs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthening government leadership will be a valuable factor for combating NTDs in Indonesia. For instance, strong leadership can lead to precise management, by increasing the number of health facilities, engaging in active case identification, conducting health campaigns and instituting new regulations to prevent the stigmatization faced by patients. Preventive medicine in the first level of health facilities can be prioritized and presented to the community via health campaigns, health advocacy and improvement in follow-up after active case surveillance. Government-supported integrated management is also a key component in eliminating NTD. Moreover, healthy lifestyle campaigns that include social distancing, wearing a mask and regularly washing hands should be promoted continuously to reduce the transmission of COVID-19, which is potentially associated with a poor outcome in individuals with NTDs. This review concluded that the Indonesian government should strengthen their efforts toward NTD control using alternative methods, such as involving key citizens in the collaboration of the detection of new cases and introducing mobile health as a means of detecting health problems or following up on patient progress. To reduce the transmission of COVID-19, testing, tracing and treatment must be improved, so that the gap between suspected cases and confirmed cases of COVID-19 can be closed. If the transmission of COVID-19 can be decreased, case detection and efforts toward NTD control can be conducted effectively.

Mitigation of Soil-Transmitted Helminthiases Resurgence in the Era of Covid-19 Disruption: A Literature Review

“…The positive aspect is adaptation and innovation to help sustain the deworming program, complemented with integrated interventions and collaboration (Fauziyah, et al, 2021;Mationg, et al, 2021). Adaptations made in the context of a pandemic can strengthen efforts to support deworming programs based on primary health facilities and their integration into community-based platforms.…”

“…In that case, the epidemiology of Covid-19 in endemic countries is substantially different from that observed in non-endemic countries. It is crucial to carefully monitor the effects of coinfection to be aware of the worse possible effects (Fauziyah, et al, 2021).…”

“…Before the pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified several infectious diseases as neglected tropical diseases (NTD) (World Health Organization & United Nations Children's Fund, 2020). There are at least twenty types of NTDs, but only five of them are endemic diseases in Indonesia, namely soil-transmitted helminthiases (STH), elephantiasis, snail fever, yaws, and leprosy (Fauziyah, et al, 2021).…”

Vector control Aedes sp. during pandemic COVID-19

“…When the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still happening in Indonesia, the government also faces another health issue: DHF. The high, increasing number of COVID-19 cases caused Indonesia to be ranked 19 th globally, and 4 th in Asia, and 1 st in Southeast Asia on January 17, 2021 [8], [9]. The concerning number of COVID-19 cases is in line with the high number of cases and deaths of DHF in Indonesia.…”

From Downplaying to Giving Illiberal Responses: Jokowi’s Populist Leadership Amidst COVID-19

“…Populism is a "thin ideology" with two components: the idea of a good people pitted against a corrupt elite; and the belief that politics should be an expression of the will of the people [12]. Since the COVID-19 pandemic spread in Indonesia, the studies on how populist leaders respond to the global pandemic have increasingly shown positive growth [13]- [15], including some studies related to populist local leaders' actions during the pandemic [16], [17], which explains how local leaders are utilizing crises to build their electability. On a national level, some political scholars also discuss Jokowi's populist leadership and his failure to handle the crisis [18], [19].…”