COVID-19 responses in Africa: Ok, one size doesn’t fit all. Now what?

April 28, 2020 4:01 AM

COVID-19 responses in Africa: Ok, one size doesn’t fit all. Now what? Since the COVID-19 pandemic started spreading, it has been clear that the societies of the developing world face dreadful challenges. Even in wealthy countries, where health systems are relatively strong and foreign reserves are deep, the health and economic impacts of the crisis are daunting. How should governments of poorer, less industrialised countries respond?

From the beginning, it has been evident that “copy-pasting” the responses available to wealthier nations is a non-starter. South Korea might be able to do large scale testing, contact tracing, social distancing, and palliative care. Zimbabwe can’t. Even South Africa will struggle.
More on Covid 19 in Africa: Food in the time of Coronavirus
(Disclaimer - Andries du Toit is my brother but I had nothing to do with the writing or researching of these articles, and am not involved with the organisation PLAAS in any way.)

posted by Zumbador (7 comments total)

Thank you for sharing these! I had really been wondering about how things were going in less wealthy countries, because our news has really not been providing much information at all. I appreciate that these are both realistic about the challenges and yet still somehow hopeful.
posted by hydropsyche at 5:25 AM on April 28, 2020 [3 favorites]

Partners In Health initiatives in Sierra Leone, recently the scene of an Ebola epidemic
posted by homerica at 7:31 AM on April 28, 2020

Previously.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:57 AM on April 28, 2020

Wow - that PLAAS analysis/proposal is soberingly complex. And the Arguments article underscores a cruel paradox contained within one of the leitmotifs of this pandemic: with all the fixation on distancing to break the chain of contagion, while it's actually physical distancing that works, the term we've all come to accept, "social distancing", might ultimately be exactly what we end up with: greater distance within society than we'd ever bargained with...

It's truly humbling to imagine what Africa (and the global South) is having to contend with, COVID-19 is just layering on top of such a plethora of crises that predate and prefigure it. Thanks for the link (and thanks to all involved in it), Zumbador.
posted by progosk at 2:53 PM on April 28, 2020 [3 favorites]

Lancet editorial: Decolonising COVID-19

Territorial colonialism may have ended long ago but this contemporary global health crisis can serve as a reminder that the colonisation of medicine, economics, and of politics, remains alive. We must reflect on practices that have their origins in 19th century imperialism and replace them with new systems that are rooted in values of recognition, reciprocity, and respect.

posted by ZeusHumms at 3:49 PM on April 28, 2020 [5 favorites]

Thanks for these links. From the majority of reporting here, you would think this is a US and European outbreak primarily, with brief mentions of a few other places (Lockdown in India! Terrible scenes in Ecuador!) but very little attention to the complexity and specificity.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:19 PM on April 28, 2020 [3 favorites]

Thanks for sharing this, I really appreciate it.
posted by smoke at 5:33 PM on April 28, 2020 [1 favorite]