ICRC Calls On International Community For Support To Prevent Pandemic In Africa - Official

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th April, 2020) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has urged the international community to assist Africa in preventing the further spread of the coronavirus across the continent as African countries lack even the most basic health care infrastructure, let alone intensive care capacity, Crystal Wells, ICRC regional spokeswoman, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"We need the international community's support to equip health care workers and health facilities to prevent, isolate, and treat cases and get information out to communities on how the virus is spread," Wells said.

The spokeswoman added that the ICRC was committed to taking all the steps needed to help fight the spread in vulnerable communities such as refugee camps and where little health care was available.

"Our fear is that unless urgent action is taken to curb the spread of the virus, the virus could take hold in some of the world's most vulnerable communities, with devastating consequences. We need to ensure that health care workers and health care facilities are equipped and prepared. In many of the places we work, losing one doctor, one nurse, or one clinic means losing health care altogether," she said.

Wells went on to add that the ICRC was worried about about the affect this disease could have on malnourished people.

"Africa's 1.2 billion population faces the highest levels of undernourishment on the planet, affecting 20 percent of the population (240 million). Chronic undernourishment destroys the body's immune system and make people highly vulnerable to COVID-19. At the same time, every outbreak in living memory � Ebola, SARS, MERS � has negatively impacted food insecurity, which could push malnutrition rates up," Wells said.

So far, the number of people diagnosed with the coronavirus disease in Africa stands at 10,075, and the death toll is approaching 500, according to the African Union's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.