Browsing by Author "Kallay, Oscar"

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    Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine for the prevention or treatment of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Africa : caution for inappropriate off-label use in healthcare settings
    (American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2020) Abena, Pascale M.; Decloedt, Eric H.; Bottieau, Emmanuel; Suleman, Fatima; Adejumo, Prisca; Sam-Agudu, Nadia A.; TamFum, Jean-Jacques Muyembe; Seydi, Moussa; Eholie, Serge P.; Mills, Edward J.; Kallay, Oscar; Zumla, Alimuddin; Nachega, Jean B.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 pandemic has spread to Africa, where nearly all countries have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Although there are ongoing clinical trials of repurposed and investigational antiviral and immune-based therapies, there are as yet no scientifically proven, clinically effective pharmacological treatments for COVID-19. Among the repurposed drugs, the commonly used antimalarials chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) havebecome the focus of global scientific, media, and political attention despite a lack of randomized clinical trials supporting their efficacy. Chloroquine has been used worldwide for about 75 years and is listed by theWHOas an essential medicine to treat malaria. Hydroxychloroquine is mainly used as a therapy for autoimmune diseases. However, the efficacy and safety of CQ/HCQ for the treatment of COVID-19 remains to be defined. Indiscriminate promotion and widespread use of CQ/HCQ have led to extensive shortages, self-treatment, and fatal overdoses. Shortages and increased market prices leave all countries vulnerable to substandard and falsified medical products, and safety issues are especially concerning for Africa because of its healthcare system limitations. Much needed in Africa is a cross-continental collaborative network for coordinated production, distribution, and post-marketing surveillance aligned to low-cost distribution of any approved COVID-19 drug; this would ideally be piggybacked on existing global aid efforts. Meanwhile, African countries should strongly consider implementing prescription monitoring schemes to ensure that any off-label CQ/HCQ use is appropriate and beneficial during this pandemic.
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    From easing lockdowns to scaling up community-based coronavirus disease 2019 screening, testing, and contact tracing in Africa-shared approaches, innovations, and challenges to minimize morbidity and mortality
    (Oxford University Press, 2020-05) Nachega, Jean B.; Grimwood, Ashraf; Mahomed, Hassan; Fatti, Geoffrey; Preiser, Wolfgang; Kallay, Oscar; Mbala, Placide K.; Muyembe, Jean-Jacques T.; Rwagasore, Edson; Nsanzimana, Sabin; Ngamije, Daniel; Condo, Jeanine; Sidat, Mohsin; Noormahomed, Emilia V.; Reid, Michael; Lukeni, Beatrice; Suleman, Fatima; Mteta, Alfred; Zumla, Alimuddin
    The arrival of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the African continent resulted in a range of lockdown measures that curtailed the spread of the infection but caused economic hardship. African countries now face difficult choices regarding easing of lockdowns and sustaining effective public health control measures and surveillance. Pandemic control will require efficient community screening, testing, and contact tracing; behavioral change interventions; adequate resources; and well-supported, community-based teams of trained, protected personnel. We discuss COVID-19 control approaches in selected African countries and the need for shared, affordable, innovative methods to overcome challenges and minimize mortality. This crisis presents a unique opportunity to align COVID-19 services with those already in place for human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, malaria, and non communicable diseases through mobilization of Africa's interprofessional healthcare workforce. By addressing the challenges, the detrimental effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on African citizens can be minimized.
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    From easing lockdowns to scaling-up community-based COVID-19 screening, testing, and contact tracing in Africa : shared approaches, innovations, and challenges to minimize morbidity and mortality
    (Oxford University Press, 2020) Nachega, Jean B.; Grimwood, Ashraf; Mahomed, Hassan; Fatti, Geoffrey; Preiser, Wolfgang; Kallay, Oscar; Mbala, Placide K.; Muyembe, Jean-Jacques T.; Rwagasore, Edson; Nsanzimana, Sabin; Ngamije, Daniel; Condo, Jeanine; Sidat, Moshin; Noormahomed, Emilia V.; Reid, Michael; Lukeni, Beatrice; Suleman, Fatima; Mteta, Alfred; Zumla, Alimuddin
    The arrival of COVID-19 to the African continent resulted in a range of locally relevant lockdown measures, which curtailed the spread of SARS-CoV-2 but caused economic hardship for large sections of the population. African countries now face difficult choices regarding easing of lockdowns and sustaining effective public health control measures and surveillance. Control of the COVID-19 pandemic will require efficient community screening, testing, contact tracing, and behavioral change interventions, adequate resources, and a well-supported, community-based team of trained, protected personnel. We discuss COVID-19 screening-testing-contact tracing approaches used in selected African countries and the need for shared, affordable, innovative methods to overcome challenges and minimize mortality rates. This crisis presents a unique opportunity to align COVID-19 services with those already in place for HIV, TB, Malaria, and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through mobilization of Africa's inter-professional healthcare workforce to contain the pandemic. By addressing the challenges, the detrimental effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on African citizens can be minimized.
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    Limiting the spread of COVID-19 in Africa : one size mitigation strategies do not fit all countries
    (Elsevier, 2020) Mehtar, Shaheen; Preiser, Wolfgang; Lakhe, Ndeye Aissatou; Bousso, Abdoulaye; TamFum, Jean-Jacques Muyembe; Kallay, Oscar; Seydi, Moussa; Zumla, Alimuddin; Nachega, Jean B.
    On March 11, 2020, when coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a pandemic by WHO, there were comparatively few cases reported from Africa. Our Comment draws on early imported COVID-19 cases in South Africa, Senegal, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Egypt as case studies to discuss important mitigation strategies of COVID-19 in Africa.
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    Mobile health technology for enhancing the COVID-19 response in Africa : a potential game changer?
    (American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2020) Nachega, Jean B.; Leisegang, Rory; Kallay, Oscar; Mills, Edward J.; Zumla, Alimuddin; Lester, Richard T.
    The WHO Africa Region is experiencing an increase in the number of novel COVID-19 cases. As of May 20, 2020, 63,521 cases with 1,796 deaths (2.8% case fatality) have been reported from 45 countries.1 Although these numbers are small compared with those in United States or Europe, the WHO recently estimated that up to 190,000 people could die of COVID-19 in Africa if the pandemic is not controlled.2 These projections are threatening the already overstretched health services in Africa, where governments have been implementing mitigating strategies to flatten epidemic curves at manageable levels. These include education, personal hygiene practices, social distancing, travel bans, and partial or total lockdowns.3 However, as lockdowns and social distancing measures are currently being lifted in stages by most African countries, governments will need to ensure that public health infrastructure and needed resources are put in place for community surveillance to identify cases and clusters of new infections through active case finding, large-scale testing, and contact tracing.
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    Mobile Health Technology for Enhancing the COVID-19 Response in Africa: A Potential Game Changer?
    (2020-05) Nachega, Jean B; Leisegang, Rory; Kallay, Oscar
    Disclosure: J. B. N. is also a coprincipal investigator of TOGETHER, an adaptive randomized clinical trial of novel agents for treatment of high-risk outpatient COVID-19 patients in South Africa; supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and a member of COVID-19 Scientific Committee of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. R. T. L. is an infectious disease specialist and global health researcher with support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Michael Smith Foundation, for Health Research and Grand Challenges Canada, and is cofounder of the WelTel (www.weltelhealth.com), as well as a member of the roster of experts for the WHO Task Force for Digital Health. He served on the front lines of the 2003 SARS epidemic and led a consortium on the Ebola outbreak response in 2014. Sir Zumla is co-PI of the Pan-African Network on Emerging and Re-Emerging Infections (PANDORA-ID-NET: https://www.pandora-id.net/) funded by the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. Sir Zumla is recipient of a National Institutes of Health Research senior investigator award.