“The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented challenges to health systems worldwide, including the control of non-COVID-19 diseases. Malaria cases and deaths may increase due to the direct and indirect effects of the pandemic in malaria-endemic countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This scoping review aims to summarize information on public health-relevant effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the malaria situation in SSA.”
“Untreated malaria can be rapidly fatal and COVID-19 patients must be quarantined to interrupt community transmission. Despite increasing availability of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria in all endemic areas, presumptive diagnosis of malaria is still common in SSA, and the WHO Malaria Technical Guidelines adapted to COVID-19 confirm this situation. Initial information available for 2020 suggests major disruptions in malaria diagnosis and treatment due to COVID-19 .”
Source: https://malariajournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12936-021-03872-2