South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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While inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been well characterised in the West and other parts of the world, there are little data from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). To throw light on the current status of IBD in SSA, we performed a systematic review of the literature, extracting relevant publications. We found only 210 documented IBD cases in SSA (excluding South Africa (SA)), which were reported in 34 publications until August 2019. ⋯ The rest were mostly case reports or small case series; the largest from Nigeria comprised 32 patients. The paucity of documented cases possibly reflects under-diagnosis and under-reporting. Major deficiencies in diagnostic and clinical capacity were noted, which need to be addressed going forward.
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COVID-19 is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. The healthcare response to the pandemic depends upon a mentally and physically healthy workforce. Infectious disease outbreaks cause high psychosocial stress among healthcare workers, which may impact negatively on workplace functioning. ⋯ Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other mental health conditions were noted among healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 and other outbreaks. Although no effectiveness studies were identified, certain proposed interventions may be implemented by healthcare leaders. Further research is recommended.
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COVID-19 is prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. The healthcare response to the pandemic depends upon a mentally and physically healthy workforce. Infectious disease outbreaks cause high psychosocial stress among healthcare workers, which may impact negatively on workplace functioning. ⋯ Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and other mental health conditions were noted among healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19 and other outbreaks. Although no effectiveness studies were identified, certain proposed interventions may be implemented by healthcare leaders. Further research is recommended.