Brazzaville/Cairo, 8 July 2020 – COVID-19 infections in Africa today surpassed 500 000, and there is concern as a growing number of countries are experiencing a sharp rise in cases. So far, in less than 5 months, the virus has claimed 11 959 lives, overtaking the 11 308 lives lost in the world’s worst Ebola outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016.

Cases have more than doubled in 22 countries in the Region over the past month. Nearly two thirds of countries are experiencing community transmission. Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa account for about 71% of COVID-19 cases. South Africa alone accounts for 43% of the continent’s total cases.

However, the accelerating growth trend is not uniform across the continent, with some countries recording a steady rise in cases, indicating a protracted pandemic. Eritrea, Gambia, Mali, Seychelles and Togo are witnessing long doubling times and low growth rates. Seychelles had not experienced a case in nearly 2 months, but in the past week had dozens of new imported cases, linked to crew members of an international fishing vessel. There are also some signs of progress as 10 countries have experienced a downward trend over the past month. Although Egypt accounts for 15% of cumulative cases, it has seen a decline in the past week.

“With more than a third of countries in Africa doubling their cases over the past month, the threat of COVID-19 overwhelming fragile health systems on the continent is escalating,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “So far the continent has avoided disaster and if countries continue to strengthen key public health measures such as testing, tracing contacts and isolating cases, we can slow down the spread of the virus to a manageable level.”

Eighty-eight per cent of COVID-19 infections are among people aged 60 and below, likely due to Africa’s relatively young population. However, the likelihood of dying from COVID-19 rises with increasing age and the existence of co-morbidities, with the risk of death among patients aged 60 years and above being 10 times higher compared with those below 60. 

"Communities across the continent have a crucial role to play in controlling the pandemic, especially as countries begin easing lockdowns and opening up their borders," said Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. "As governments continue to implement public health measures, individuals must remain as cautious and vigilant as ever to protect themselves, their families, and their communities. Hand washing, mask use, physical distancing and other preventative measures are key to controlling transmission, saving lives, and ensuring that already overwhelmed health systems are not stretched to breaking point."

As COVID-19 continues to spread, thousands of health workers have also fallen ill. Equipping and protecting health workers is one of the central pillars of the COVID-19 response.

WHO is working to support countries respond to COVID-19 by providing technical guidance, crucial medical equipment and has remotely trained more than 25 000 health workers. WHO has also organized more than 420 shipments of key equipment, including more than 3000 oxygen concentrators, 23 000 GeneXpert diagnostic testing machines and almost 4 million pieces of personal protective equipment for health care workers.

29 June 2020 – In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the phenomenon of an ‘infodemic’ has escalated to a level that requires a coordinated response. As WHO’s Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned the world of this threat of an ‘infodemic’, it is getting harder for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance needed due to an overabundance of information-some accurate and some not-occurring during a disease outbreak.

To tackle this threat for current and future generations, WHO is today hosting its first Global Infodemiology Conference, starting on 29 June 2020. The conference is bringing together experts around the world to:

• highlight the multidisciplinary nature of infodemic management;
• identify examples and tools to help manage infodemics;
• build an agenda to direct focus and investment to this emerging field;
• establish a community of practice and research. 

What is infodemic mangament?

An infodemic is an overabundance of information – some accurate and some not – occurring during an epidemic. In a similar manner to an epidemic it spreads between humans through digital and physical information systems. During epidemics and crises, it becomes even more important to disseminate accurate information quickly, identify and lower barriers for individuals to take steps to protect themselves, their families and communities against the infection. Even when people have access to high-quality information, there are still barriers they must overcome to take the recommended action. Like pathogens in epidemics, misinformation spreads further and faster and adds complexity to health emergency response.

An infodemic cannot be eliminated but it can be managed. To respond effectively to infodemics, WHO calls for adaptation, development, validation and evaluation of new evidence-based measures and practices to prevent, detect and respond to mis- and disinformation.

Infodemic management uses many skillsets to prioritize and problem solve the issue of too much and inaccurate information about the current COVID-19 infodemic. The infodemic dimension should be considered a pillar of an integrative approach to public health in complex knowledge societies.

The history of public health in the 20th and 21st century is full of examples of how misinformation caused harm during outbreaks and continued to do damage in trust in health authorities long afterward. The tools at health authorities’ disposal have been limited and expertise siloed.

The stakes are higher in a digitized world, where misinformation and mixed messages overwhelm individuals and communities. This is not just a communication problem, but it requires a full rethinking of evidence-based approaches to infodemic management, putting people and communities at the center.

Everyone has a role in managing infodemic

In early April, WHO has convened a public consultation to crowdsource ideas for an infodemic management framework, with a whole-of-society perspective. Everyone has a role to play in infodemic response, and from the response, it became clear that establishing the foundations of the science of infodemic management was a priority for all regions of the world

It is everyone’s responsibility to amplify reliable, evidence-based information. Earlier this month, the UN Secretary-General presented a set of recommended actions to ensure everyone is “connected, respected and protected in the digital age”. Tools have been developed that can help Member States combat the infodemic. It’s vital that countries become more proficient in their knowledge and use of these tools to effectively manage infodemics.

WHO echoed this in its resolution on COVID-19, adopted at this year’s World Health Assembly, which called on countries, international organizations and others to counter disinformation and prevent the proliferation of both disinformation and misinformation.

Related link

First WHO Infodemiology Conference

A joint communiqué by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations, the International Association of Dental Students and the International Pharmaceutical Students Federation

COVID-19 in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 has become a global pandemic affecting and challenging the lives of millions of people and communities all over the world. There are more than 4 million cases of this infectious disease globally, and it has spread among communities in all 22 countries and territories in the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Region. Countries are taking varying levels of restrictive measures to stop the spread and mitigate the impact of the pandemic, with many social and economic consequences for individuals and communities.

How are young people affected by COVID-19?

People of any age can be infected with COVID-19, including young people aged 15–24. Although the young are less likely than older people to become seriously ill with COVID-19, the pandemic is still having a huge impact on the lives of this group, in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and beyond. Government measures to stop the spread of the disease such as lockdowns, closure of schools and physical distancing pose many challenges, including interruptions to education and daily routines, increasing levels of domestic violence, stress and mental health issues. Furthermore, faced with a shortage of health care workers, many countries are pushing health care students who are approaching graduation to the front lines to join the fight against the virus, placing them in stressful situations and increasing their risk of infection.

Yet young people can rise to these challenges, help build resilience in their communities and drive social change during the pandemic – provided they are heard, empowered, engaged and given the chance to lead.

Opportunities for youth engagement

WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has produced a youth engagement framework, Youth for Health, which identifies three key objectives in any initiative to engage young people: empowerment, action and participation. In the case of engagement, WHO country missions, health and youth ministries, and other United Nations agencies can meaningfully engage young people in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic by:

Empowerment: engage young people in platforms and mechanisms that elevate and amplify their voices during the pandemic. Recommended actions:o

Develop a repository with easy access to all information material on COVID-19 addressing the challenges facing young people and how to deal with those challenges.

Establish youth-focused social media initiatives targeting specific issues, such as mental health, domestic violence and access to education, as mechanisms for reaching a wide range of young people during the pandemic and building a community interested in volunteering, exchanging knowledge and spreading awareness among their peers.

Initiate youth storytelling programmes and events featuring first-person stories at country and local levels, to allow young people to share and learn from others’ experiences during the pandemic.

Action: Engage young people in positive, healthy norms and practices and the design and delivery of COVID-19 health promotion initiatives and health services. Recommended actions:

Develop and deliver ongoing online capacity-building programmes to give young people the knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves effectively, lead in taking care of their families and support their communities during the pandemic.

Support young people in designing and delivering health awareness campaigns and initiatives, so that they are actively engaged in COVID-19 health promotion.

Prioritize the identification, recruitment, training and deployment of young people as members of national and local health workforces during the pandemic, while ensuring decent working conditions and personal protective measures against COVID-19.

Participation: Ensure that young people can engage with decision-making bodies leading the response against COVID-19 at national and regional level. Recommended actions:

Support youth advocacy coalitions and provide both technical and institutional support to youth-led and student organizations at local level working on COVID-19 response initiatives.

Establish dialogue opportunities through regular online and offline engagements between young people and senior managers in governments and WHO country missions to capture youth needs and recommendations during the pandemic.

Optimizing action by young people

Young people, represented by youth-led and student organizations in the Region such as the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association, International Association of Dental Students, and International Pharmaceutical Students Federation, can play an active role as valuable stakeholders by:

raising awareness among their peers on how to protect themselves and their families during the pandemic and what actions they can take to slow the spread of the disease, particularly good infection prevention and control practices;

identifying and collecting data on the specific issues facing young people and health care students at local level during the pandemic;

reaching out to fellow young people and creating local support groups to deal with challenges they face during the pandemic such as stress, domestic violence and coping with change;

distributing information resources to their local chapters and empowering them to lead local initiatives; and

reporting back to and collaborating with other stakeholders to support youth action at local level.