Buzz
At the onset of the pandemic, many health experts feared a catastrophic outbreak in Africa due to its weak healthcare infrastructure. However, the reality unfolded differently. Although the virus surfaced in the continent, the overall number of cases and fatalities remained remarkably low, contrasting sharply with highly developed regions like Europe and the United States. Currently, the cases and deaths in Africa are plummeting to a level that perplexes healthcare professionals.A notable case is Zimbabwe, where a few days ago, the reported cases were just over 30. This country, with average conditions in Africa and a healthcare system not boasting excellence, is experiencing an unexpected decline. Some residents now carry face masks, not to protect against Covid-19 but to cope with police scrutiny and avoid fines for non-compliance with the current government regulations.The overall data recorded by WHO also indicates a consistent decline since July, suggesting that the reduction in infections is systematic rather than a temporary phenomenon. However, they also suggest that the issue may lie in inaccuracies in the provided disease data, especially due to the suboptimal monitoring system on this continent, and the trend may change in the future.
According to Ms. Wafaa El-Sadr, the Global Health Director at Columbia University, the reduction in cases remains a mystery because Africa lacks sufficient vaccines and tools to combat the pandemic like other places. However, somehow, this continent is performing better in disease control. Currently, less than 6% of the population here has been vaccinated, making community immunity seem implausible. Some researchers believe this may be due to the young population in Africa, with an average age of 20 compared to 43 in Western Europe, along with a low urbanization rate and high outdoor exposure.In Uganda, there is another discovery as the data shows that COVID-infected patients who are also at risk of exposure to malaria fever are less likely to develop severe symptoms or die when infected with the virus compared to those who have almost no history of malaria fever. This is a surprising finding because few would think that contracting malaria fever could provide such protection against COVID-19. This study also suggests that being infected with malaria fever tends to enhance the immune response when exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
In Nigeria, the most populous country on the continent, only around 3 thousand deaths have been reported among a population of 200 million. This figure is remarkably low compared to other nations. Meanwhile, in South Africa, which holds the highest death toll in the continent with nearly 90 thousand fatalities, the number remains relatively modest when juxtaposed with the total mortality rates in the Americas and Europe, accounting for approximately 46% and 29% of the global death toll, respectively.
Similar narratives are unfolding across many other African nations, where healthcare professionals sigh with relief as things haven't spiraled out of control yet. However, they remain vigilant, unable to predict when the pandemic might truly escalate in the coming times.
