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Hundreds of millions of Africans lack basic means of preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission, finds global study

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20 August 2021

This new University of Bristol-led global research collaborative finds almost 900 million Africans live without on-site water, while 700 million people lack in-home soap/washing facilities. 

Professor David GordonDirector of the Bristol Poverty Institute, the Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research and one of the study’s co-authors, said: “Unfortunately, impoverished living conditions mean that it is almost impossible for many people in African countries to follow public health advice and protect themselves from the virus. European and North American countries need to stop hoarding millions of doses of vaccines that they will never be able to use and make them available to people in Africa.” 

Dr Mary Zhang, Senior Research Associate at Bristol’s School for Policy Studies, added: “The Perivoli Africa Research Centre (PARC) is a major new University of Bristol initiative which has helped us to make use of the most up-to-date survey data to identify people in Africa who are vulnerable to COVID19 infections because of their living conditions.”

The press release is available here: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2021/august/covid-in-africa-study.html

The paper is available to download here: Housing, sanitation and living conditions affecting SARS-CoV-2 prevention interventions in 54 African countries. Brewer TF et al (2021). Epidemiology and Infection 149, e183, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0950268821001734.

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