'When COVID-19 Comes to Africa' by Dr Arkebe is among the top 10 most read blogs of 2020

There is no telling how long it will take to bring the COVID-19 coronavirus under control, or how many people will be affected. But African governments, in cooperation with communities and international actors, can take steps now to limit the damage – and lay the foundations for a healthier, more resilient future.

Addia Ababa – The COVID-19 coronavirus – which has now spread to more than 100 countries – has pushed the world into “uncharted territory,” according to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom. So far, Africa has recorded relatively few infections, but there is no reason to believe this won’t change. When it does, the results could be catastrophic.

One need only recall the West African Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 to comprehend the potential damage. The hardest-hit countries were Guinea (with 3,814 cases and 2,544 deaths), Liberia (10,678 cases and 4,810 deaths), and Sierra Leone (14,124 cases and 3,956 deaths). Moreover, since August 2018, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has faced its own large-scale Ebola epidemic, with more than 3,444 cases and 2,264 deaths (as of March 10, 2020).

While Ebola has a far higher mortality rate than COVID-19, the latter’s rapid spread shows that it, too, can quickly spin out of control, causing serious social and economic disruptions. The infection rate in China, for example, began to decline only after weeks of consistent bold measures, active community mobilization, and “draconian” lockdown measures. Whether the virus is truly contained remains to be seen.