Webinar by United African Congress on Africa and COVID-10: Reports from journalists on the ground in Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa: As Expert Panelists Dr Judy asks about mental health

CONCEPT NOTE: 

Webinar  in Response to Recent Developments in the COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa

TITLE: Coronavirus in Africa: Stopping the Spread and the Panic with Lessons Learned from the Ebola Epidemic

DATE: Thursday, 9 April 2020

TIME: 11:00AM – 12:00PM EST

MODALITY: Zoom; LINK: https://bit.ly/UnitedAfricanCongress 

Organized by: The United African Congress and The International Association of Applied Psychology

PURPOSE: Africa had been given a few weeks before the deadly coronavirus that hit countries around the world invaded the continent. Now, the threat of the pandemic infecting the continent of Africa is a reality, with 34 countries reporting cases of coronavirus as of 20 March, reflecting a dramatic increase over a month. The dangers are clear, given at-risk conditions, including  fragile health infrastructures, close living quarters, crowded transportation, limited healthforce capacity and supplies, widespread poverty, and limited financial resources.  Heightened alert and immediate action is therefore urgent. 

This webinar responds to this drastic situation. Panelists address the health and mental health, economic and social impacts of the infection in Africa, and focus on the alert and action required on the part of all multistakeholders on the continent and call on the broader international community to intervene to provide resources and establish procedures in Africa to stave off a rampant pandemic escalating out of control.

POLICY: The importance of combating this pandemic is underscored by efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); in particular, SDG 3 about the promotion of healthy living and wellbeing for all, with the concomitant target 3.4 regarding mental health and wellbeing. The  panel also addresses SDG 4 for inclusive and equitable education, especially public education, while respecting cultural factors. In addition, SDG 17 calls for multi-stakeholder partnership, as is happening in the USA with assistance from the private sector.  The approach to COVID-19 also addresses the goals of the Political Declaration of Universal Health Coverage, that calls for health and mental health access for all,essentially important in this ciris, as the most vulnerable persons have less access to such care.  Further, the Global Compact for Migration calls for health care for this population that is at increased risk for contracting the infection.

The panel will address the current crisis by drawing upon lessons from the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, touching upon topics around mitigation, capacity-building, policy, and successful programming.  The President of the United African Congress Mr. Gordon Tapper previously moderated a panel related to the Ebola epidemic titled, “Harlem to Congo,” and will moderate this panel. Other panel speakers represent various sectors, from government, UN agencies, civil society and media, thereby reflecting the multi-stakeholder partnership of SDG17. The panel will employ a holistic perspective,  presenting not only the medical, but also the psychological issues evident in this outbreak. This approach is consistent with the policies mentioned above, considering mental health is integral to physical health.

BACKGROUND: The United African Congress sounded an early alarm regarding the spread of the coronavirus to Africa on 6 February at an event at the United Nations on the occasion of World Interfaith Harmony Week. Partnering with the Mission of Jamaica to the UN, the panel of faith leaders  and experts of various disciplines   addressed solutions to serious issues plaguing humanity, from climate change, widespread violence, religious and racial intolerance, to the health epidemic of coronavirus.  . UAC Trustee and well-known psychologist Dr. Judy Kuriansky amplified this alarm in her column on 3 March in Black Star News titled, “Sounding the Alarm about Coronavirus in Africa.”

 The coronavirus may be  “novel”  only in name, because the disease raises familiar challenges underlying other epidemics, such as SARS, HIV/AIDS and Ebola. Similar issues are raised, involving mitigation and treatment, and the need for action in the face of such a medical crisis. Panelists on the webinar are  very familiar with these past epidemics, advocating about health and organizing   valuable programming.. For example, in August 2014, the UAC and partners hosted the first forum at the United Nations on the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, including participation from the ambassadors of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, medical experts in the field, a Nobel Prize nominee for Medicine, and expatriate organizations from the three affected countries.

Additionally, Dr. Kuriansky provided psychosocial support during the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003, and during the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone in 2014. Resources of lessons learned from Ebola can be found in the links below.

Recently, on 21 March, Dr. Kuriansky, along with Columbia University Teachers College graduate students, and local mental health professionals, held  a webinar for people in China to cope with the emotional sequelae of the outbreak, with .   an overview of the post-epidemic situation, psychological research and advice, especially for children and for students returning to China, results of a domestic population psychological status survey , and grief counseling for those suffering from loss.

SUMMARY OVERVIEW: As media coverage became inundated with cases of the coronavirus sweeping across Asia, Europe, and North America, a narrative emerged that Africa was thought to have evaded the fatal virus. As of 25 March, there are over 2,400 cases across 43  nations on the continent. Given the fragile health systems in these countries and prevalence of at-risk conditions,  World Health Organization (WHO) officials  urge African leaders to respond with vigor, and to strengthen efforts to contain the disease before it overwhelms communities. At a media briefing on 18 March, WHO General-Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus strongly advised leaders to "wake up" to the increasing threat, remarking that, "The best advice for Africa is to prepare for the worst and prepare today.”

These recent developments highlight several key touchpoints; namely, the importance of early action from governments, the indispensable value of cooperation from all sectors, and solidarity among communities for preventive behavior.  African countries have an opportunity (noted as a “head start”) to combat COVID-19 before it spirals out of control. They can apply  models from other nations who have successfully managed to control the spread of the virus, like South Korea and Singapore. Some measures include increasing testing, stocking hospital supplies, ensuring health worker personnel safety, limiting public gatherings, increasing awareness of hygiene and sanitation strategies, providing provisions for families and business, and shutting down schools and non-essential establishments.

However, in Africa as in other countries, challenges include the difficulties of physical distancing in densely-populated communities, the dynamics of confinement in multigenerational households, and limited access to basic necessities, such as food and water, especially in rural and non-urban areas. The continent’s exceedingly young population may also necessitate stronger guidance from leaders, emphasizing that all people—not just older individuals—are vulnerable to the illness.

The migration of the coronavirus to Africa is  a sober reminder that disease does not discriminate—it has no regard for nationality, race, class, age, or geographic boundaries.. Thus, meeting the threat of the coronavirus will demand great responsibility from society as a whole, and a shifting of perspective to the commonality of needs for all people facing crisis. This global public health emergency demands multilateral cooperation among nations, collective responsibility among individuals, and in the words of General-Director Dr. Tedros, an insurmountable “spirit of solidarity” from everyone involved.

Resource links about psychosocial resilience from the Ebola epidemic:

Book: The Psychosocial Aspects of a Deadly Epidemic: What Enola has Taught Us about Holistic Healing, with extensive policy feedback, program recommendations, and models.

Other references of Dr. Kuriansky’s work are included below:

Articles:

●       “I am African, I Am Not a Virus” (Blog for World Humanitarian Summit on E-International Relations)

●      “How a New York Psychologist and an Israeli Humanitarian Organization Are Helping Sierra Leone Stand Up to Ebola” (Article and Interview by Ben Cohen on The Algemeiner)

Videos:

●      Ebola, Theme song:  “Hope Is Alive” Music Video (2019 April 1, YouTube)

●      Ebola: Voices from the Field (2018 February 6, YouTube)

●      Ebola: Psychosocial Issues During and After the Epidemic (2016 February 2, YouTube)

●      Ebola in Sierra Leone: Burial Team Workshop Led by Dr. Judy Kuriansky (2015 August 21, YouTube)

United Nations webcasts:

"Achieving Poverty Eradication by Sustainable Health, Well-being and Education: The Case of Ebola in West Africa and other Epidemics and Disasters Worldwide (30 January 2018).  Access at: https://bit.ly/2K1MbjS

* Promoting youth mental health and wellbeing as a strategy for social integration and poverty eradication: Voices from the Field (7 February 2017) includes Hope and Health Vision, DRC.  Access at: https://bit.ly/2YxA1Gs

UN Report

Otto, J. & Kuriansky, J. (2018). Report of a Side Event at UN Headquarters in New York in the margins of the 56th Commission for Social Development, 30 January 2018: “Achieving Poverty Eradication by Sustainable Health, Well-being and Education: The Case of Ebola in West Africa and other Epidemics and Disasters Worldwide”. Access at: https://bit.ly/324KI1A