Taking Paediatrics Abroad: Working with low‐ and middle‐income countries in a global pandemic

Abstract Worldwide, there is an array of clinical trials under way to evaluate treatment options against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Concurrently, several nutritional therapies and alternative supportive treatments are also being used and tested to reduce the mortality associated with acute respiratory distress in patients with COVID-19. In the context of COVID-19, improved nutrition that includes micronutrient supplementation to augment the immune system has been recognized as a viable approach to both prevent and alleviate the severity of the infection. The potential role of micronutrients as immune-boosting agents is particularly relevant for low- and middle-income countries, which already have an existing high burden of undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. A systematic literature review was performed to identify nutritional interventions that might prevent or aid in the recovery from COVID-19. The PubMed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched electronically from February to April 2020. All abstracts and full-text articles were examined for their relevance to this review. The information gathered was collated under various categories. Deficiencies of micronutrients, especially vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, zinc, iron, and selenium, are common among vulnerable populations in general and among COVID-19 patients in particular and could plausibly increase the risk of mortality. Judicious use of need-based micronutrient supplementation, alongside existing micronutrient fortification programs, is warranted in the current global pandemic, especially in low- and middle-income economies.

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COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in low- and middle-income countries

Nature Medicine ◽

10.1038/s41591-021-01454-y ◽

2021 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Julio S. Solís Arce ◽

Shana S. Warren ◽

Niccolò F. Meriggi ◽

Alexandra Scacco ◽

Nina McMurry ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Large Scale ◽

Health Workers ◽

Immunization Coverage ◽

The United States ◽

Vaccine Acceptance ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

Low And Middle Income

AbstractWidespread acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for achieving sufficient immunization coverage to end the global pandemic, yet few studies have investigated COVID-19 vaccination attitudes in lower-income countries, where large-scale vaccination is just beginning. We analyze COVID-19 vaccine acceptance across 15 survey samples covering 10 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Asia, Africa and South America, Russia (an upper-middle-income country) and the United States, including a total of 44,260 individuals. We find considerably higher willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine in our LMIC samples (mean 80.3%; median 78%; range 30.1 percentage points) compared with the United States (mean 64.6%) and Russia (mean 30.4%). Vaccine acceptance in LMICs is primarily explained by an interest in personal protection against COVID-19, while concern about side effects is the most common reason for hesitancy. Health workers are the most trusted sources of guidance about COVID-19 vaccines. Evidence from this sample of LMICs suggests that prioritizing vaccine distribution to the Global South should yield high returns in advancing global immunization coverage. Vaccination campaigns should focus on translating the high levels of stated acceptance into actual uptake. Messages highlighting vaccine efficacy and safety, delivered by healthcare workers, could be effective for addressing any remaining hesitancy in the analyzed LMICs.

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Current Concepts Imaging in COVID-19 and the Challenges for Low and Middle Income Countries

Journal of Global Radiology ◽

10.7191/jgr.2020.1106 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jeffrey Mendel ◽

Justine Lee ◽

David Rosman

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Infectious Diseases ◽

Imaging Findings ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The Past ◽

Current State ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The Uk ◽

Low And Middle Income

With nearly 3,800,000 cases and 270,000 deaths reported worldwide, COVID-19 is a global pandemic unlike any we have seen in our lifetimes (1). As early as 1995, the WHO was warning of a global infectious disease crisis, citing 30 new infectious diseases emerging in the past 20 years, loss of antibiotic effectiveness, low rates of immunization, poverty, and inadequate investment in public health contributing to the more than 17 million people dying each year from infectious diseases, principally in Low and Middle Income countries (LMIC) (2). Unlike previous infectious diseases, at the time of this writing over 63% of the total reported cases of COVID-19 are in 6 High Income Countries (HIC): USA, Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the UK. Information concerning the imaging findings in COVID-19 has been rapidly disseminated from the centers first affected by the pandemic. This article attempts to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding the imaging findings in COVID-19, focusing on pulmonary findings, and offer recommendation for the use of imaging for diagnosis and surveillance of COVID-19, particularly in LMIC.

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