Dr. Umaru's Blog on Health & Development

 In this issue, I intend to reflect on the ongoing pandemic and whether or not public health practitioners have learned lessons from the COVID-19.  In 2014, there was an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea resulting in the infection of 28,000 people and 11,310 deaths in the three countries. During that time, there was both solidarity and neglect from public health practitioners and the international community. We saw multiple countries supporting to control the outbreak, including the US National Guards, to help the West African countries. At the same time, because the outbreak was geographically localized, there was a minimal global collective response to the diseases. As a result, only a few companies invested in research and development (R&D) in support of novel diagnostics technologies, treatment, or vaccines. It was also obvious that the affected countries have very weak health systems which further exuber...

    There's been multiple interventions and strategies aimed at helping Africa's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The multitude of support and coordination between Africa's leadership, under the Africa U nion Commission, and the global stakeholders including Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Jack Ma Foundation among others have been positively commended.  As of August 7, 2020, the continent reported the fist one million confirmed cases of COVID-19 bringing to light the increasing exposure to the diseases by the continent's vulnerable population.  Whereas the one million cases represent an important measure in Africa's response to the pandemic, it is by far less significant comp ared to similar numbers in developed countries, such as the United Sta tes of America.  There are those who are of the opinion that Africa's response is too slow because the number of cases coming out of the continent is far less than expect ed (or predicted...