ABSTRACT
In the past two decades, countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, and India have recorded several cases of Nipah virus (NiV) infection. Following the 2018 NiV outbreak in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, India that claimed 17 lives, there has been a recent re-emergence of the virus in the same district, causing the recently reported death of a 12-year-old boy. Accordingly, population panic has heightened as inhabitants of these areas try to together combat the existing COVID-19 pandemic alongside the emerging NiV infection. Although the rate of transmission of NiV is low as compared to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), scientists suggest a higher mortality rate from NiV infection. In this manuscript, we aim to discuss the NiV infection in India as well as suggest recommendations to contain and ameliorate the severe impact of the virus on affected populations.
ABSTRACT
Chagas Disease (CD) is an infectious, neglected tropical disease (NTD) that has affected over 1.7 billion people worldwide. Unfortunately, most countries usually put little effort into mitigating the spread of NTDs, having weak public health approaches, diagnostic delays, and ineffective clinical management guidelines and resources. However, the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, exacerbates the impact of NTDs. In this review, we examine the subsequent changes that have been imposed on CD prevention and treatment. Articles from Google Scholar and PubMed were extracted which satisfied our inclusion criteria. From our data, we gather that COVID-19 has - from preventive measures to treating patients - greatly affected every stage in the fight against CD. For instance, co-infection of CD and COVID-19 puts patients at higher risk for cardiomyopathy (i.e., atrial fibrillation, chronic heart failure), yet no clinical guidelines were established for co-infected patients. To mitigate the spread of CD during the COVID-19 pandemic, further investigations on the impacts of co-infections and vaccines that can be developed to treat such conditions are warranted.
ABSTRACT
Since the initial identification of the Marburg virus in 1967, it has sporadically emerged in several countries throughout Africa, including Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Due to the concurrent occurrence of other epidemics like the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), this outbreak could endanger the healthcare systems in these many African nations. Recently, two cases of the Marburg virus were detected in Ghana for the first time. However, there has been a noticeable lack of information concerning this recent outbreak of July 2022 in Ghana. Therefore, this article seeks to provide an overview of this outbreak in Ghana to better understand the most recent status and current efforts being made to mitigate the dissemination of the Marburg virus. We also suggest recommendations that may contribute to limiting the burden of this virus.
ABSTRACT
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease, endemic to Africa, Asia, and South America due to inadequate access to medication and underreporting of leishmaniasis cases. Leishmaniasis has two forms: cutaneous and visceral. The fight against leishmaniasis has been greatly affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that impacted resource distribution and access to medication. Continuous effort in vaccine development and affordable therapeutics are necessary to eliminate leishmaniasis in low-income countries. Further research is necessary to determine molecular drug resistance markers in leishmaniasis patients. In this analysis, we focus on the effect of COVID-19 on leishmaniasis in Africa.