scholarly journals Views and experiences on lockdown as a response to the prevention and control of COVID-19 crisis among residents of Uganda

Author(s):  
Choolwe Muzyamba ◽  
Ogylive Mphanza Makova ◽  
Geofrey Mushibi

Abstract Background: While lockdowns have become a gold standard response to the Covid-19 pandemic, debates on its usefulness still continue. There is currently good amount of research work originating from western countries on the usefulness of lockdowns, however, similar research is still missing in low income countries like Uganda which implemented stricter lockdowns. More importantly, not much is known about the views of the residents of Uganda for which such a measure was meant for. Despite the implementation of lockdowns, it is still not yet known how relevant residents of Uganda view the lockdown. Research has demonstrated that interventions are most successful when they resonate with the target population This study fills this identified gap by investigating the views and lived experiences of residents of Uganda with regards to the usefulness of the lockdown as a response to the prevention and control of COVID-19.Methods: This was a cross sectional survey using qualitative methods of data collection. Data will was collected from 1000 participants in the four regions of Uganda on the views and experiences on lockdown as a response to the prevention and control of COVID-19 crisis among residents of Uganda. Data collection was down through use of a Qualtrics Survey Tool. Thematic analysis with the help of the Social representation theory was then used to analyze the data. Findings: The study demonstrated that there was visible nuance in the manner in which the lockdown was characterized. On one hand it was seen as useful in slowing down the spread, protecting the fragile healthcare system and giving government enough time to learn about the novel virus and thus respond efficiently. On the other hand, our participants were critical of its devastative nature on the livelihoods of people. Particularly, the lockdown closed down economic survival opportunities for the most vulnerable in society, increased unemployment and poverty levels. The lockdown also contributed to worsening mental health conditions and simultaneously provided fertile ground for domestic abuse including sexual abuse especially among girls.Conclusion: Ultimately, our study questions the narrow view of branding the lockdown as unequivocally good or bad. It rather sheds light on the complexities of its effect on society in Uganda by pointing out its multicapillary-like consequences in society wherein it can, in various ways protect lives and at the same time destroy livelihoods. Our study thus highlights that responding to such complexities defies the logic of implementing the lockdown as a ‘one-size-fits-all magic bullet’, but rather that it must be contextualized, localized and appropriated to the realities of Uganda.

2021 ◽  
pp. 361-376
Author(s):  
Corinne Peek-Asa ◽  
Adnan A. Hyder

Injuries are among the leading causes of death and disability throughout the world and contribute disproportionately to premature life lost. Injury rates are highest among middle- and low-income countries. According to analyses of the 2016 Global Burden of Disease data, injuries cause over 4.6 million deaths per year, accounting for nearly 8.4% of all deaths and 10.7% of disability-adjusted life years. Many opportunities to implement injury prevention strategies exist, and a systematic approach to injury prevention can help identify the most effective and efficient approaches. Building capacity for injury prevention activities in low- and middle-income countries is an important public health priority.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 927-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gertrude Sika Avortri ◽  
Juliet Nabyonga-Orem

Purpose Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) constitute a major threat to patient safety and affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The World Health Organization in 2016 published guidelines on the core components for infection prevention and control (IPC) programme. This was in response to a global call for focused action. The purpose of this paper is to examine and promote understanding of the tenets of the IPC guidelines and highlight their implications for implementation in low-income countries. Design/methodology/approach Drawing from personal experiences in leading the implementation of health programmes as well as a review of published and grey literature on IPC, authors discussed and proposed practical approaches to implement IPC priorities in low-income setting. Findings Availability of locally generated evidence is paramount to guide strengthening leadership and institutionalisation of IPC programmes. Preventing infections is everybody’s responsibility and should be viewed as such and accorded the required attention. Originality/value Drawing from recent experiences from disease outbreaks and given the heavy burden of HAIs especially in low-income settings, this paper highlights practical approaches to guide implementation of the major components of IPC.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ermira Tartari ◽  
Joost Hopman ◽  
Benedetta Allegranzi ◽  
Bin Gao ◽  
Andreas Widmer ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesImplementation of effective infection prevention and control (IPC) measures is needed to support global capacity building to limit transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and mitigate its impact on health systems. We assessed the perceptions of healthcare workers on the current global IPC preparedness measures for COVID-19.MethodsA cross-sectional survey using an electronic survey was circulated between February 26, 2020, and March 20, 2020, to IPC professionals during COVID-19 pandemic. The survey addressed the presence of COVID-19 guidelines as well as specific IPC preparedness activities in response to the outbreak.FindingsIn total, 339 IPC professionals spanning 63 countries in all 6 World Health Organization (WHO) regions, mostly from tertiary care centres participated. Of all participants, 66·6% were aware of the existence of national guidelines to prevent COVID-19. A shortage of PPE supplies was reported by 48% (ranging from 64·2% in low-income countries to 27·4% in high-income countries); 41·5% of respondents considered that the media had an impact on guideline development and 63·6% believed that guidelines were based on maximum security rather than on evidence-based analyses. 58·5% and 72·7% of participants believed that healthcare facilities and community settings respectively were not sufficiently prepared.ConclusionResults revealed lack of guidelines and concerns over insufficient PPE supply in both high- and low-income countries. Our findings should alert national health authorities to ramp up the implementation of IPC measures and focus on long-term preparedness and readiness for future pandemics, likely requiring government funds rather than reliance on healthcare institutions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
TEH EXODUS AKWA

Coronavirus infection has been reported in every country in the world and the number of people getting sick in low income countries rises rapidly. Public health sectors are concerned with the effective prevention and control especially in these countries. The situation is becoming critical due to challenges faced in the effective control and management set out by these bodies. The article seeks to highlight some of the factors contributing to challenges faced by low income countries in controlling the spread of this disease. It is hoped that from this article, possible strategies for improvement can be designed as regarding the control of the COVID-19 spread.


Author(s):  
Thomas F. Babor ◽  
Jonathan Caulkins ◽  
Benedikt Fischer ◽  
David Foxcroft ◽  
Keith Humphreys ◽  
...  

International drug control efforts are designed to coordinate domestic laws with international activities that regulate or limit the supply of psychoactive substances. These efforts are organized around three main drug control treaties that almost all countries have ratified in order to prevent illicit trafficking and other drug-related crime, while at the same time allowing access to prescription medications. The effects of the system have been evaluated mostly in terms of the ability to eliminate illicit markets and supply. The gross imbalance in world consumption of legal opiates is a pointer to the limited availability of effective pain medications in many low-income countries, with 80% of the world’s population having either no or inadequate access to treatment for moderate or severe pain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 169
Author(s):  
Fatma Lestari ◽  
Abdul Kadir ◽  
Muhammad Idham ◽  
Fahrul Azwar ◽  
Ganis Ramadhany ◽  
...  

People’s behaviors can affect the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Public behaviors, including proper personal hygiene and healthy life practices, the use of appropriate masks, and the application of good disinfectants, have an important role in human health and protection towards prevention and control of COVID-19 spread. This study aims to perform a survey of public behavior and best practices related to COVID-19 prevention and control among Indonesian communities. A cross-sectional study was designed to collect information using an online survey. Respondents were gathered from 34 provinces in Indonesia through the Indonesia National Safety and Health Council network and Universities network. Respondents voluntarily submitted their response to a predesigned online questionnaire. The collected data was then analyzed using SPSS 24.0. A total of 771 respondent subjects (male 386; female 385) were recruited. The results show that 96% of participants implement positive behavior of personal hygiene, including wearing a mask when going outside their house, and almost 67.3% of respondents sprayed a disinfectant in their house. The majority of participants hold a door handle (37.2%) and desk (28.1%) at a frequency of more than six times a day. There were 8.2% of participants implementing good personal hygiene, including hand-washing at least once a day and maximum of more than six times after going to the toilet. At-risk behaviors were conducted by respondents in which they touched part of their face at a frequency of once during an hour. It was identified that males are less likely to perform better hand hygiene as opposed to females. In conclusion, the study showed that positive behavior of personal hygiene related to COVID-19 has been implemented among Indonesian communities. This result suggests that positive behavior based on community-based prevention and control needs to be continually maintained in order to prevent and control COVID-19 spread.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
SaurabhRamBihariLal Shrivastava ◽  
PrateekSaurabh Shrivastava

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. e023013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deogratius Bintabara ◽  
Keiko Nakamura ◽  
Kaoruko Seino

ObjectiveThis study was performed to explore the factors associated with accumulation of multiple problems in accessing healthcare among women in Tanzania as an example of a low-income country.DesignPopulation-based cross-sectional survey.SettingNationwide representative data for women of reproductive age obtained from the 2015–2016 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey were analysed.Primary outcome measuresA composite variable, ‘problems in accessing healthcare’, with five (1-5) categories was created based on the number of problems reported: obtaining permission to go to the doctor, obtaining money to pay for advice or treatment, distance to a health facility and not wanting to go alone. Respondents who reported fewer or more problems placed in lower and higher categories, respectively.ResultsA total of 13 266 women aged 15–49 years, with a median age (IQR) of 27 (20–36) years were interviewed and included in the analysis. About two-thirds (65.53%) of the respondents reported at least one of the four major problems in accessing healthcare. Furthermore, after controlling for other variables included in the final model, women without any type of health insurance, those belonging to the poorest class according to the wealth index, those who had not attended any type of formal education, those who were not employed for cash, each year of increasing age and those who were divorced, separated or widowed were associated with greater problems in accessing healthcare.ConclusionThis study indicated the additive effects of barriers to healthcare in low-income countries such as Tanzania. Based on these results, improving uptake of health insurance and addressing social determinants of health are the first steps towards reducing women’s problems associated with accessing healthcare.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Lufunda Lukama ◽  
Chester Kalinda ◽  
Warren Kuhn ◽  
Colleen Aldous

Background. Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) diseases are an oft overlooked global health concern. Despite their high prevalence and associated morbidity and mortality, ENT diseases have remained neglected in health care delivery. In Zambia and many other low-income countries, ENT services are characterized by poor funding, unavailable surgical procedures, and erratic supply of essential drugs. Objective. To investigate ENT service provision in Zambia with regard to availability of surgical procedures and supply of essential drugs. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted using a piloted structured questionnaire between 17 January 2017 and 2 January 2018. Included in the study were the 109 hospitals registered with the Ministry of Health (MoH) across the 10 provinces of Zambia. Results. Of the participating hospitals, only 5.9% (n=1) and 40% (n=2) of Second-Level Hospitals (SLH) and Third-Level Hospitals (TLH), respectively, carried out tympanoplasty, myringotomy, and grommet insertion (M+G). Frontal trephination and external ethmoidectomy were offered in 11.7% (n=2) and 40% (n=2) of SLH and TLH, respectively. While tracheostomy (39.3%, n=24), tonsillectomy (27.9%, n=17), and adenoidectomy (27.9%, n=17) were the most widely performed head and neck procedures, laryngectomy was carried out by 1 hospital. Between 14.8% (n=9) and 36.1% (n=22) of hospitals lacked antibiotic and/or antiseptic ear drops. Despite 96.7% (n=59) of the respondents acknowledging ENT as an important branch of clinical practice, only 15.3% (n=4) of the hospitals had a budget for ENT. Also, 6.6% (n=4) of the respondents thought the discipline of ENT had received enough attention. Conclusion. ENT service delivery in Zambia is limited with regard to performed surgical procedures and availability of essential drugs, necessitating urgent intervention. The findings from this study may be used to direct national policy on the improvement of provision of ENT services in Zambia.


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