COVID-19 - Africa: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) response to the coronavirus in Africa
The African region has not been so severely affected so far, but if action
is not taken immediately to contain the virus, it could have devastating effect
GENEVA, Switzerland, March 30, 2020/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as coronavirus, has overwhelmed advance
health care systems all over the world. The African region has not been
so severely affected so far, but if action is not taken immediately to
contain the virus, it could have devastating effects particularly in
places affected by conflict and violence.
Governments have acted quickly to put travel bans, self-quarantine, and
other preventative measures in place. These are critical steps taken
towards curbing the spread of COVID-19, but an outbreak in areas
grappling with congestion, lack of access to clean water, and weakened
health care systems will likely face a new humanitarian crisis.
The tens of millions of people around Africa who are living in
overcrowded displacement camps and informal settlements, often with poor access to health care, clean water and sanitation, are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. They cannot
practice social distancing. At the same time, if the virus spreads into
places with active conflict, cases will be harder to trace.
The fear now is that unless urgent action is taken to curb the spread of the COVID-19, the virus could take hold in some of the world's most
vulnerable communities, with devastating consequences. The ICRC's work
to serve people affected by armed conflict and violence in Africa will
not grind to a halt because of COVID-19. More than 40% of ICRC's
operations are in Africa. Many of these programs are life-saving and in
places where few other organizations have access.
A coordinated response
All delegations in Africa are reorienting their plans to face the
challenges ahead, both in terms of adapting existing programs to respond to the shifting needs COVID-19 creates and developing new programs to
tackle COVID-19 head-on.
Across the continent, the ICRC is working with Red Cross and Red
Crescent volunteers to share accurate information on COVID-19 and how
people can protect themselves and their families from the disease. This
includes radio spots, small group sessions, flyers, posters, tv spots,
and targeted information campaigns inside places of detention.
Burkina Faso
In Burkina Faso, some 1.5 million people have seen their access to health care cut or seriously reduced since 2019 due to the escalation of violence. As of February 2020, some 109 health centres were closed and 140 were operating at minimum.
The ICRC is running radio spots to share information on how people can
protect themselves from COVID-19. In areas where people have been
displaced from their homes by violence, the ICRC is continuing to
improve access to clean water and soap. The ICRC will also distribute
soap and hand sanitizer in places of detention and train guards in
infection prevention and control.
Mali
Access to health care in Mali is limited as conflict and underinvestment has forced some health care
facilities to shut down. Nearly 20% of health care facilities across
Mali have been partially or completely destroyed and 93% of facilities
in the north have been completely destroyed. Those that remain are
totally overwhelmed with injuries from conflict and general health needs of IDPs.
Right now, the ICRC is setting up an infection prevention control in all the primary health clinics that the organization supports, including
quarantine capacity at two facilities. The ICRC is also prepared to set
up transit sites for suspected COVID-19 patients before they are
transported to treatment centres. Chlorine, chlorine sprayers, and other disinfectant equipment will also be provided to health care facilities.
South Sudan
People in South Sudan must often walk for hours, and even days, to reach the nearest health
care facility. The WHO estimates there is only one physician for every
65,000 people, while less than half of the health care facilities in the country are functional.
In addition to adapting how the ICRC treats gunshot and other life-threatening injuries, the organization is supporting the National Prison Services of South Sudan to run information sessions on
COVID-19 to prevent the disease from entering places of detention. The
ICRC is also installing handwashing facilities in the most populated
prisons and distributing hygiene items to detainees.
Somalia
Less than 50% of people living in Somalia's urban areas have access to medical care. In rural areas, it drops to
only 15%. The country suffers from outbreaks of measles and other
diseases and one million children are estimated to be malnourished.
The ICRC has provided tents for isolation to the Mogadishu hospital that it supports, which can be used if there is a surge of cases of
COVID-19. Health education sessions are being conducted in addition to
providing soap to communities, clinics and hospitals, together with the
Somali Red Crescent.
The ICRC is also implementing a surveillance system (EWARN) and contact
tracing at the clinics' level in collaboration with Somali Red Crescent
to collect information and monitor suspected cases. Hygiene items are
being provided in places of detention. The ICRC is also providing soap,
chlorine tabs and hygiene information on COVID-19 to more than 120,000
households with the help of Somali Red Crescent volunteers.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is still reeling from an outbreak of Ebola. It also suffers from chronic outbreaks of disease like cholera and
measles. These outbreaks put a further strain on local health services,
which are now also facing COVID-19. There have also been indiscriminate
attacks on the delivery of health care services and humanitarian aid.
In response to the threat of COVID-19, the ICRC is supporting the
Ministry of Health in setting up quarantine and isolation measures in
two provincial hospitals in Bukavu and Goma. The organization is also
training staff in eight referral hospitals in suspected case isolation
and helping all supported clinics and hospitals in infection prevention
control measures.
The ICRC will continue its health care visits, training staff on the
symptoms and case management, and putting in place infection control
measures to reduce the risk of the virus from entering places of
detention in the first place. With family visits no longer allowed in
places of detention, the ICRC is looking into scaling up food and other
assistance to detainees.
Cameroon
In the Anglophone region of Cameroon, The ICRC's teams are delivering soap and other household goods to 650
families. However, going forward, there are planning to distribute 22
tons of soap and 44,000 jerry cans in prisons and communities in
different parts of the country. The ICRC also plans to provide bleach
and cleaning products to detention centres.
Ethiopia
The ICRC is providing soap to detainees and setting up handwashing stations in 20 places of detention in Ethiopia, reaching 40,000 detainees. These initial places of detention were selected based on their sizes in relation to the number of detainees they have, and their proximity to cities and towns.
In addition, the distribution of flyers in places of detention with
information on COVID-19 prevention, symptoms, and actions to be taken if someone is sick is ongoing. The ICRC is also sharing guidance and
recommendations with authorities to limit the risk of outbreaks of
COVID-19 in places of detention. Together with the Ethiopia Red Cross,
the organization is sharing information with communities on prevention
measures such as handwashing and physical distancing.
Kenya
The ICRC is working together with the Kenya Red Cross to support the
Kenya Prison Services on infection prevention control, helping to
develop protocols, providing hygiene training to prison staff,
supporting the installation of screening, quarantine and isolation
facilities, and guiding authorities on humane management of the
restrictive measures imposed on the daily life of the inmates.
Djibouti
In Djibouti, the ICRC is working in coordination with the Ministry of Justice to
conduct an awareness session for the staff and management of Gabode
prison and shared protocols on infection prevention and control. Hygiene items, personal protective equipment and materials to set up the
screening station at the gate have been provided to the prison
management.
Southern Africa
From the ICRC regional delegation in Pretoria that covers southern Africa, the ICRC is appealing to governments to suspend all arrest and forced deportation of migrants to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in holding facilities and in the region. Countries of return are mostly countries with compromised health care
systems due to conflict and armed violence.
The vulnerability of migrants, notably those in irregular situations or
living in precarious conditions, should be factored in any national plan to respond to COVID-19, to ensure their adequate access to information, their inclusion in the prevention response and their access to health
care should they fall sick.
Sudan
In Sudan, the ICRC is accelerating efforts to get communities access to water by
repairing dozens of handpumps in Al Geneina, West Darfur, which was the
scene of clashes earlier this year and home to tens of thousands of
displaced people. There are also plans to provide soap and COVID-19
health education.
The ICRC is speeding up an urban water project together with local authorities in Damazine, Blue Nile State, where the town's existing water supply is under severe strain due to the growing presence of displaced people around its
periphery over the years.
Additionally, the ICRC is helping federal and state Ministries of Health to build up contingency stocks of gloves, gowns, disinfectant and
personal protective material. It plans to offer support to detention
authorities for hygiene promotion with water stations, soap, awareness
messages and posters in prisons. At the same time, the ICRC is
supporting the Sudanese Red Crescent Society in their health activities, and their COVID-19 awareness campaigns, especially where the ICRC is
working in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.
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