2020_04_04_ICS_retos_coronavirus
The challenges of adopting coronavirus prevention measures in low-income countries
Researchers from the NCID of Institute for Culture and Society and the Institute of Fiscal programs of study analyze in a article the importance of COVID-19 prevention measures in developing countries. development
PHOTO: Manuel Castells
Without a vaccine available, scientists recommend non-drug interventions - namely, hand washing, keeping social distance and shielding the elderly and at-risk groups - as the only possible measure to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus and decrease its mortality rate. These strictly applied measures appear to have been effective in curbing the spread of the virus in countries such as South Korea and China.
Researchers from the Navarra Center for International Development of the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra and the Institute for Fiscal Studies (UK) have published a paper article where they analyze the importance of these measures in low-income countries and the difficulties they may face when adopting these measures. It is signed by researcher junior Ivan Kim and researcher non-resident Alex Armand, both from NCID, together with Allison Andrew and Britta Augsburg.
According to article, this subject of preventive measures becomes especially important in contexts of fragile health systems - typical of low-income countries. Healthcare can be quickly overwhelmed even if the virus spreads in only a small issue number of cases.
The researchers also stress that the success of these interventions lies in their widespread compliance, something that may be more difficult to achieve in this subject of countries than in other parts of the world. In fact, most citizens in these countries may have real challenges in adopting these measures. Many of these challenges are due to poverty and economic insecurity that can lead to overcrowded housing or lack of running water or toilets.
These difficulties suggest that the policy of recommending hand washing, distancing and shielding at-risk groups may not be effective in the face of COVID-19. To mitigate these difficulties, the experts propose accompanying the recommendations with aids for households to comply with them.
Providing such support is essential to save lives in low-income countries. In addition, this would have a global benefit by preventing the virus from existing endemically in these countries and reducing the threat of it spreading - again - globally.
You can consult the complete article in the following link