The organisation added that the impact of the disease was expected to be greater among those grappling with food scarcity and malnutrition, while widespread food insecurity would likely increase due to movement restrictions. 

“Covid-19 is unfolding in Africa against a backdrop of worrying levels of hunger and undernourishment, which could worsen as the virus threatens livelihoods and household economies,” said WHO regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti.

“Hunger and malnutrition heighten vulnerability to diseases, the consequences of which could be far reaching if not properly addressed.”

The WHO said it was estimated that one in five people on the African continent was undernourished, and that 30% of children under five – approximately 59 million children – had stunted growth, greater than the global average of 21.9%. 

“Wasting occurs in approximately 7.1% of children in Africa. The continent has the highest burden of malnutrition compared with other parts of the world, in terms of percentage of the population. 

“While there has been little research so far into malnutrition as a co-morbidity for Covid-19, people with weakened immune systems as a result of undernourishment are at greater risk of a range of serious illnesses and so are likely to be more severely affected by the virus.”

The organisation said that according to estimates, as many as 73 million people in Africa were acutely food insecure, and Covid-19 was exacerbating food shortages because food imports, transportation and agricultural production had all been hampered by a combination of lockdowns, travel restrictions and physical distancing measures. 

The burden of movement restrictions and lockdowns was being felt particularly acutely by low-income households and those working in the informal economy due to their loss of livelihoods and inability to access markets, said the organisation.

Malnutrition was also a concern for households that had the means to stock up on food before lockdown.

“Greater consumption of processed and canned foods combined with reduced physical exercise could worsen obesity and diabetes, risk factors that have been documented as increasing the severity of COVID-19. The most recent global nutrition report estimated that 17% of women and 7% of men in Africa are obese,” said the organisation.  

Moeti said that as countries relaxed their lockdowns, health services must be equipped to meet the challenges posed by malnutrition.

“It is important to remember that easing a lockdown should be thought of not as an event, but as a dynamic, data-driven process. If the epidemiological evidence suggests that restrictions need to remain in place, governments should ensure that measures are taken to alleviate hunger that might arise as a result of these restrictions.”

African News Agency