Coronavirus Fight Takes Resources, Progress from Other Diseases
2020-04-27
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1Lavina D'Souza has not been able to get the medicine she needs since India ordered its citizens last month to stay at home.
2The order was meant to help the country's 1.3 billion people guard against the new coronavirus.
3The Indian government supplies the anti-HIV medication to D'Souza.
4She uses it to fight off the virus that causes AIDS.
5D'Souza is now stuck in a small city away from her home in Mumbai.
6She has none of the medication she needs to manage her disease.
7The 43-year-old is afraid that her health will fail.
8"Any disease, the coronavirus or something else, I'll fall sick faster," she told The Associated Press.
9D'Souza said others also must be "suffering because of the coronavirus without getting infected by it."
10As the world directs its attention to the pandemic, experts fear other infectious diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis and cholera will be ignored.
11Such diseases kill millions of people every year.
12Also at risk are the long-time public health efforts that helped the World Health Organization set target dates for ending malaria, polio and other illnesses.
13The coronavirus crisis has led to crowded hospitals.
14It is redirecting medical efforts, causing supply shortages and suspending healthcare services.
15And experts like John Nkengasong say their greatest fear is medical resources for other diseases being taken away.
16He is a doctor and head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC.
17The issue is greater in countries with already struggling healthcare systems, like Sudan.
18Doctors at Al-Ribat National Hospital in the capital, Khartoum, shared a document detailing healthcare measures nationwide.
19It shows fewer patients being admitted to emergency rooms, a delay in non-emergency surgeries and stoppage of day-to-day care for non-critical cases.
20In addition, skilled doctors are being told to treat patients with COVID-19, the disease resulting from the coronavirus.
21Similar measures are taking place in other countries, even those with highly-developed healthcare systems, such as South Korea.
22There, patients seeking treatment for diseases like tuberculosis, or TB, are being refused, notes Hojoon Sohn, who is with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
23He is based in South Korea.
24Of the world's 10 million TB cases each year, about 30 percent are never diagnosed.
25And a lack of needed care is mainly an issue in 10 the countries with the most infections, Sohn said.
26He added that the undiagnosed are people who likely would not seek medical care in normal situations.
27So with the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders, it is highly probable the number of undiagnosed TB patients will rise.
28The Democratic Republic of the Congo is trying to recover from years of violent conflict and the latest outbreak of Ebola.
29The new coronavirus comes as a measles outbreak in Congo has killed over 6,000 people, said Anne-Marie Connor.
30She is national director for World Vision, an aid organization.
31The secondary effects of the coronavirus pandemic are not limited to treatment.
32Other issues, like having transportation during a stay-at-home order, are threatening India's progress on TB.
33Patients and doctors cannot get to clinics and it is difficult to send medical tests to laboratories.
34India has nearly a third of the world's TB cases and diagnosing patients has been delayed in many areas.
35Yogesh Jain and other doctors fear that means TB cases would surely increase.
36Jain works in Charrisgarth, one of India's poorest states.
37Coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders also are a barrier to the flow of supplies, including critical medicine, protective clothing and oxygen, said Dr. Marc Biot.
38He is director of operations for aid group Doctors Without Borders.
39The fear of some diseases returning is growing because of delays in efforts to vaccinate more than 13.5 million people.
40That information comes from the international vaccine alliance GAVI.
41The group said 21 countries are reporting vaccine shortages following border closures and changes to air travel, mostly in Africa.
42And 14 vaccination campaigns for diseases like polio and measles have been delayed.
43The Measles & Rubella Initiative said measles vaccination campaigns in 24 countries are already delayed.
44The group fears more than 117 million children in 37 countries may miss out.
45Programs to prevent mosquito-related diseases also have been affected.
46In Sri Lanka, cases of dengue were nearly double last year compared to the number in 2018.
47But health workers now have to put their efforts into finding suspected COVID-19 patients.
48That has ended their usual work of destroying mosquito breeding areas at homes, said Dr. Anura Jayasekara.
49She is director of Sri Lanka's National Dengue Control Unit.
50During a pandemic, history shows that other diseases can return in high numbers.
51Health providers are trying to ease the crisis by giving months of supplies to people with some diseases, such as hepatitis C, HIV and TB.
52I'm Alice Bryant.
1Lavina D'Souza has not been able to get the medicine she needs since India ordered its citizens last month to stay at home. The order was meant to help the country's 1.3 billion people guard against the new coronavirus. 2The Indian government supplies the anti-HIV medication to D'Souza. She uses it to fight off the virus that causes AIDS. 3D'Souza is now stuck in a small city away from her home in Mumbai. She has none of the medication she needs to manage her disease. The 43-year-old is afraid that her health will fail. 4"Any disease, the coronavirus or something else, I'll fall sick faster," she told The Associated Press. 5D'Souza said others also must be "suffering because of the coronavirus without getting infected by it." 6As the world directs its attention to the pandemic, experts fear other infectious diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis and cholera will be ignored. Such diseases kill millions of people every year. Also at risk are the long-time public health efforts that helped the World Health Organization set target dates for ending malaria, polio and other illnesses. 7The coronavirus crisis has led to crowded hospitals. It is redirecting medical efforts, causing supply shortages and suspending healthcare services. And experts like John Nkengasong say their greatest fear is medical resources for other diseases being taken away. He is a doctor and head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC. 8The issue is greater in countries with already struggling healthcare systems, like Sudan. Doctors at Al-Ribat National Hospital in the capital, Khartoum, shared a document detailing healthcare measures nationwide. It shows fewer patients being admitted to emergency rooms, a delay in non-emergency surgeries and stoppage of day-to-day care for non-critical cases. In addition, skilled doctors are being told to treat patients with COVID-19, the disease resulting from the coronavirus. 9Tuberculosis will rise 10Similar measures are taking place in other countries, even those with highly-developed healthcare systems, such as South Korea. There, patients seeking treatment for diseases like tuberculosis, or TB, are being refused, notes Hojoon Sohn, who is with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is based in South Korea. 11Of the world's 10 million TB cases each year, about 30 percent are never diagnosed. And a lack of needed care is mainly an issue in 10 the countries with the most infections, Sohn said. 12He added that the undiagnosed are people who likely would not seek medical care in normal situations. So with the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders, it is highly probable the number of undiagnosed TB patients will rise. 13Secondary effects 14The Democratic Republic of the Congo is trying to recover from years of violent conflict and the latest outbreak of Ebola. The new coronavirus comes as a measles outbreak in Congo has killed over 6,000 people, said Anne-Marie Connor. She is national director for World Vision, an aid organization. 15The secondary effects of the coronavirus pandemic are not limited to treatment. Other issues, like having transportation during a stay-at-home order, are threatening India's progress on TB. Patients and doctors cannot get to clinics and it is difficult to send medical tests to laboratories. 16India has nearly a third of the world's TB cases and diagnosing patients has been delayed in many areas. Yogesh Jain and other doctors fear that means TB cases would surely increase. Jain works in Charrisgarth, one of India's poorest states. 17Coronavirus-related stay-at-home orders also are a barrier to the flow of supplies, including critical medicine, protective clothing and oxygen, said Dr. Marc Biot. He is director of operations for aid group Doctors Without Borders. 18Vaccinations suspended 19The fear of some diseases returning is growing because of delays in efforts to vaccinate more than 13.5 million people. That information comes from the international vaccine alliance GAVI. 20The group said 21 countries are reporting vaccine shortages following border closures and changes to air travel, mostly in Africa. And 14 vaccination campaigns for diseases like polio and measles have been delayed. 21The Measles & Rubella Initiative said measles vaccination campaigns in 24 countries are already delayed. The group fears more than 117 million children in 37 countries may miss out. 22Mosquito-borne illnesses 23Programs to prevent mosquito-related diseases also have been affected. In Sri Lanka, cases of dengue were nearly double last year compared to the number in 2018. But health workers now have to put their efforts into finding suspected COVID-19 patients. That has ended their usual work of destroying mosquito breeding areas at homes, said Dr. Anura Jayasekara. She is director of Sri Lanka's National Dengue Control Unit. 24During a pandemic, history shows that other diseases can return in high numbers. Health providers are trying to ease the crisis by giving months of supplies to people with some diseases, such as hepatitis C, HIV and TB. 25I'm Alice Bryant. 26The Associated Press reported this story. Alice Bryant adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 27________________________________________________________________ 28Words in This Story 29manage - v. to take care of and make decisions about 30pandemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area 31resource - n. a supply of something that someone has and can use when it is needed 32surgery - n. medical treatment in which a doctor cuts into someone's body in order to repair or remove damaged parts 33diagnose - v. to recognize a disease or illness by examining someone 34outbreak - n. a sudden start or increase of disease 35clinic - n. a place where people get medical help 36mosquito - n. a small flying insect that bites the skin of people and animals and sucks their blood 37breed - v. to produce young animals or insects