Indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a new emergency phase

Today, nine out of 13 regions have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first cases appeared in Ouagadougou on 9 March and were quickly followed by others. As of mid-April, according to the Centre for Emergency Health Response Operations (CORUS), Burkina Faso had more than 500 confirmed cases[1]. Over 30 patients have died.

Ninety-five percent of the patients, as well as their contacts that could be traced, are in the capital Ouagadougou. However, the situation remains very worrying elsewhere in the country, as Burkina Faso is already facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with widespread violence and displacement. 

The COVID-19 situation is currently under control, but the pandemic has now become a priority for most actors, in order to prevent the worst from happening. As we have seen elsewhere, no country was prepared to deal with a huge influx of COVID-19 patients, some of whom have severe complications. It is, therefore, necessary to increase hospital capacity so that we will be able to care for all patients that contract COVID-19 as soon as possible and to be prepared for a possible widespread outbreak in the coming days.

Humanitarian actors must continue to focus on the ongoing humanitarian crisis, while at the same time fighting against COVID-19 – otherwise, we risk facing an even bigger humanitarian tragedy in the coming months.

To this end, our teams have been in discussions with the health authorities to assess how we can help contain the COVID-19 outbreak in Burkina Faso, in particular by helping to identify and care for patients in Ouagadougou, Fada N’gourma and Gayeri. One of our priorities is to strengthen preventive measures. This includes explaining prevention measures such as proper handwashing to the community, as well as reviewing how patients move through hospital wards to avoid further contamination, and setting up isolation wards.

We are also strengthening infection prevention and control measures wherever we work to ensure the protection of health staff and the patients they care for. It is essential to strengthen measures to protect healthcare workers so that they can continue to provide care without themselves becoming infected with the coronavirus.

In Bobo Dioulasso, the city with the second-biggest outbreak in Burkina Faso, we have started to take care of patients in a dedicated facility.

We fear that it will have a huge impact. This pandemic will amplify existing problems. There are more than 800,000 internally displaced persons in Burkina Faso, and the UN estimates that more than two million people will need humanitarian assistance this year.

The majority of these people are living in poor conditions, with insufficient access to clean water or healthcare, and many other unmet needs. The assistance provided so far by humanitarian actors has not been sufficient and, until a few weeks ago, the most urgent priority was to increase aid and find strategies to access remote areas to reach and care for as many people as possible.

However, attention is now focused on the management of COVID-19,  and controlling the spread of the virus. This has had a big impact on the response to the humanitarian crisis. 

In the coming weeks, we will have to find a balance between our response to COVID-19 and the humanitarian crisis, so that we do not allow other diseases, such as malaria, measles, meningitis or cholera, to spread and claim as many, if not more, victims than the virus. In addition, many unknowns remain about how the coronavirus interacts with other diseases, such as malaria and dengue fever, or its impact on malnourished children with poor immune systems.

Humanitarian actors must continue to focus on the ongoing humanitarian crisis, while at the same time fighting against COVID-19 – otherwise, we risk facing an even bigger humanitarian tragedy in the coming months.

The level of insecurity in some areas is so high that it is not possible today to provide medical assistance everywhere where it is needed, and the restrictions that have been imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19, particularly at an international level, could further reduce the capacity of humanitarian organizations.

To ramp up the humanitarian response, organizations need experienced local and international staff. But today, our ability to deploy international staff to Burkina Faso is limited, at a time when we are working on several fronts. We are also worried that the supply of medical resources and drugs will be limited because of international restrictions. Not to mention the risk of not being able to bring in any protective equipment for health workers, who are on the frontline of the response to COVID-19.

Without the human, material and technical resources needed for humanitarian aid, it will be more challenging for us to provide good-quality care for patients when the seasonal peaks of child malnutrition and malaria begin. These are annual emergencies in the Sahel region; they are fast approaching and are likely to wreak havoc from June onwards.

The indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a new phase of the emergency if basic needs are not met.

We must therefore quickly adapt to this new context, but it may not be without consequences for the population. With the number of displaced people expected to reach nearly one million soon and increasing pressure on the local communities that welcome them, the population is already hit very hard. 

The indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic could lead to a new phase of the emergency if basic needs are not met. 

Another challenge, or necessity, is to avoid panic and mistrust. For this, it is imperative that we work with communities to address misinformation, rumours, and fear of the coronavirus. It is really essential today that we manage to take emotions out of the debates around the pandemic and the response, and keep calm.