WASH responses to COVID-19 in Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan
Forced Migration Review
; 67:29-33, 2021.
Article
in English
| CAB Abstracts | ID: covidwho-2044773
ABSTRACT
In the face of COVID-19, innovation, adaptation, and learning from experience have all been crucial to meeting the needs of those who have been displaced. In order to respond to this new disease, the humanitarian community had to get familiar with COVID-19. It was understood from the beginning that basic hygiene precautions, such adequate handwashing, could aid in preventing its transmission. However, a lot of displacement settings lack the infrastructure needed to put household and community-level infection prevention and control (IPC) measures into place. They might also have inadequate governance structures for overseeing and maintaining WASH services. Some of the hardest-to-reach populations are found in displacement contexts like Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan, where people lack the resources to defend themselves and deal with health threats. Disease vulnerability may be exacerbated by overcrowding and restricted access to proper WASH facilities. In the meantime, xenophobia and stigma can develop due to the fear surrounding COVID-19 as well as the dissemination of false information. As new information became available and lessons were discovered, IOM teams operating in these environments had to modify their Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) and IPC efforts. Any disaster response has traditionally included funding for capacity building for hygiene promotion to strengthen local responses, but COVID-19 demanded more localisation because of the absence of international travel. It demonstrated how supporting local structures can help solidify hygiene promotion capacities while obviating the requirement for a high degree of international assistance in the event of future outbreaks by highlighting considerable local capacity and willingness in some communities.
Prion, Viral, Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens of Humans [VV210]; Social Psychology and Social Anthropology [UU485]; Environmental Pest Management [HH200]; Water Resources [PP200]; viral diseases; coronavirus disease 2019; human diseases; discrimination; disease incidence; disease prevalence; epidemics; epidemiology; interpersonal relations; outbreaks; social interaction; social stigma; sociology; hygiene; overcrowding; hand washing; water; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; man; Ethiopia; Somalia; South Sudan; ACP Countries; East Africa; Africa South of Sahara; Africa; Least Developed Countries; low Human Development Index countries; low income countries; Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus; Betacoronavirus; Coronavirinae; Coronaviridae; Nidovirales; positive-sense ssRNA Viruses; ssRNA Viruses; RNA Viruses; viruses; Homo; Hominidae; primates; mammals; vertebrates; Chordata; animals; eukaryotes; subsaharan Africa; Abyssinia; SARS-CoV-2; viral infections; social aspects
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Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
CAB Abstracts
Language:
English
Journal:
Forced Migration Review
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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