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On Tuesday, May 26, the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University will host the next event in its Work-in-Progress Series.
During this event, Alex de Waal, Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation and Research Professor at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, will present “African Perspectives on COVID-19 and Its Impacts.” During his presentation, de Waal will discuss the following:
Africa enters the COVID-19 crisis with the weakest health infrastructure of any continent, and challenges of particular vulnerabilities including food insecurity, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. But Africa also has one immense advantage: strong recent experience with community mobilization to overcome epidemics. The harsh reality is that Africa will not be able to build the necessary health infrastructure to manage the morbidity associated with COVID-19. However, community-designed and managed strategies for limiting transmission and shielding the vulnerable are possible, and can be implemented. Without such community-sensitive approaches, Africa risks suffering secondary crises of collapse of livelihoods, food insecurity, and exacerbation of other health crises, that could be even more severe than COVID-19 itself.
Professor Jacqueline Bhabha, Director of Research at the FXB Center, will provide introductory remarks.
This event will take place as a Zoom webinar from 1 to 2 p.m. To register and receive Zoom webinar details, please contact Sam Peisch at speisch@hsph.harvard.edu.
ORGANIZER: FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University