Burundi's 'worst enemy': The country's fight against covid-19 Manirambona, E, Reddy, H, Uwiringiyimana, E, Uwizeyimana, T, Kamath, A, Parepalli, SA, Ruzats, SS, Ntacyabukura, B, Islam, Shariful, Ahmadi, A and Lucero-Prisno, DE 2021, Burundi's 'worst enemy': The country's fight against covid-19, Kesmas, vol. 16, pp. 55-58, doi: 10.21109/kesmas.v0i0.5029. Title Burundi's 'worst enemy': The country's fight against covid-19 Author(s) Manirambona, E Reddy, H Uwiringiyimana, E Uwizeyimana, T Kamath, A Parepalli, SA Ruzats, SS Ntacyabukura, B Islam, Shariful orcid.org/0000-0001-7926-9368 Ahmadi, A Lucero-Prisno, DE Journal name Kesmas Volume number 16 Start page 55 End page 58 Total pages 4 Publisher Kesmas: Jurnal Kesehatan Masyarakat Nasional Place of publication Depok, Indonesia Publication date 2021 ISSN 1907-7505 2460-0601 Summary Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has proved to be a severe global public health threat, causing high infection rates and mortality worldwide. Burundi was not spared the adverse health outcomes of COVID-19. Although Burundi’s initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic was criticized, hope arose in June 2020 when the new government instituted a plan to slow virus transmission that included public health campaigns, international travel restrictions, and mass testing, all of which proved effective. Burundi has faced many challenges in containing the virus, the first of which was the lack of initial preparedness and appropriate response to COVID-19. This was exacerbated by factors including shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), limited numbers of life-saving ventilators (around 12 ventilators as of April 2020), and the presence of only one COVID-19 testing center with less than ten technicians in July 2020. Moreover, as Burundi is amongst the poorest countries in the world, some citizens were unable to access necessities such as water and soap, required for compliance with government recommendations regarding hygiene. Interestingly, Burundi did not implement a nationwide lockdown, allowing mass gatherings and public services to continue as usual due to a firm belief in God’s protection. As the daily confirmed cases have tripled since December 2020, Burundi must prepare itself for the threat of a new wave. Establishing precautionary measures to contain the virus and strengthening the health surveillance system in Burundi would significantly positively impact the prevention and management of COVID-19. Language eng DOI 10.21109/kesmas.v0i0.5029 Indigenous content off HERDC Research category C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal Free to Read? Yes Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30157959 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Health School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences Open Access Collection Related Links Link Description Link to full-text (open access)   Connect to published version Go to link with your DU access privileges   Connect to Elements publication management system Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Every reasonable effort has been made to ensure that permission has been obtained for items included in DRO. If you believe that your rights have been infringed by this repository, please contact drosupport@deakin.edu.au. Versions Version Filter Type Wed, 27 Oct 2021, 07:03:47 EST Wed, 27 Oct 2021, 15:34:38 EST Wed, 27 Oct 2021, 15:43:42 EST Fri, 12 Nov 2021, 05:13:17 EST Fri, 26 Nov 2021, 13:47:22 EST Tue, 21 Dec 2021, 11:35:12 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 0 times in TR Web of Science Cited 0 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 58 Abstract Views  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Wed, 27 Oct 2021, 07:03:47 EST