BY Webster Mavhu —
Covid-19 still threatens to wreak havoc across Africa with the World Health Organisation (WHO) projecting almost 200 000 deaths. But we must not ignore the threat from other diseases – now neglected – as we tackle this ongoing pandemic.
The WHO has warned that deaths from malaria could double across sub-Saharan Africa this year, if prevention efforts are disrupted by Covid-19. Indeed, we are already witnessing a rise in malaria deaths in some countries.
A recent study also projected that a three-month Covid-19-induced lockdown and resultant disruption of current tuberculosis (TB) programs could lead to an additional 6.3–million TB cases and 1.4–million TB-related deaths over the next five years.