WOMEN’S UNIVERSITY IN AFRICA

Addressing gender disparity and fostering equity in University Education

DIPLOMA IN SOCIAL WORK

STUDENT NAME : VIOLA S MOYO W20132, SHAMISO C.MATHE

W201115, SILINDILE NKALA W201130, FAITH
MUNDINGI, NOBUHLE MOYO,
TALENT RUSIKE

STUDENT REG NO: GROUP 5

COURSE NAME AND CODE : COMMUNITY HEALTH DSW117

DUE DATE : 01/04/20

ASSIGNMENT NO :1

ASSIGNMENT TITTLE: 1. OUTLINE AND DISCUSS ANY FIVE STRATEGIE

WHICH ZIMBABWE CAN ADOPT TO PREVENT AND MANAGE THE POTENTIAL
OUTBREAK OF CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC IN THE COUNTRY
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SCORE :
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LECTURER’S NAME : MR. MUZINGILI .T

LECTURER’S SIGNATURE :

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OUTLINE AND DISCUSS ANY FIVE STARTEGIES WHICH ZIMBABWE CAN
ADOPT TO PREVENT AND MANAGE THE POTENTIAL OUTBREAK OF
CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC IN THE COUNTRY.

The outbreak of corona virus pandemic is a worldwide concern and Zimbabwe is no

exception as such, strategies are to be put in place to prepare for the potential outbreak. There
are worldwide laid down procedures that Zimbabwe can adopt to prevent and manage
covid19. This write up will discuss some of the strategies.

Pandemics are a large scale of infectious disease that can greatly increase morbidity and
mortality over a wide geographic area and cause significant economic, social and political
disruption.

According to Wu F. (2020) etal, COVID-19 is a respiratory infection caused by the virus

SARS-CoV-2, which was recently discovered after an outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in
December 2019. SARS-CoV-2 is a type of coronavirus which is a large family of viruses that
cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe infections in humans. The
symptoms of COVID-19 range from fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, body aches and
fatigue. Hunter P.R. (2002) asserts that most people who become infected experience mild
illness and recover, but it can be more severe for others

Evidence suggests that the virus can be spread through respiratory droplets after an infected
person cough or sneezes, between two people who are within about 6 feet of each other, and
possibly through touching surfaces that has the virus on them, such as handrails, telephones
or doorknobs.

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them
with soap and water. According to Sandora T.J (2005) etal, washing your hands with soap
and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands. People
must be encouraged to wash their hands almost regularly at home and coerce every company,
supermarket and any other outlet to make sure they provide sanitisation at their places.

The general population must also be encouraged to maintain social distancing which is to
maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone because when
someone coughs or sneezes they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which
may contain virus.( Macnamara L). If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets,
including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.

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Damani .N (2019) argues that campaigns must be conducted by various stake holders to
educate people not to touch their mouths, nose and eyes since doing so exposes and
individual to infection this is caused by the reason that hands touch many surfaces and can
pick up viruses. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth.
From there, the virus can enter your body and can make you sick. The public must also be
educated to practice respiratory hygiene, this means covering your mouth and nose with your
bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.

Gao .J (2020) etal, says in case of an infection, COVID 19 does not have medicines to cure it,
however there are ways to manage it. If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, stay
at home and seek medical attention early and also call in advance. Calling in advance will
allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility. This will also
help prevent spread of viruses and other infections. People should follow the directions of
local and national health authorities since they will be having the most up to date information
on the situation in their area (Department of Health and Great Britain. Dept. of Health, 2006).
Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow advice given by your
healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority or your employer on how
to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

According to File Jnr T.M. (2003), patients with a mild clinical presentation (absence of viral
pneumonia and hypoxia) may not initially require hospitalization, and many patients will be
able to manage their illness at home. The decision to monitor a patient in the inpatient or
outpatient setting should be made on a case-by-case basis. This decision will depend on the
clinical presentation, requirement for supportive care, potential risk factors for severe disease,
and the ability of the patients to self-isolate at home. Patients with risk factors for severe
illness (see Risk Factors for Severe Illness above) should be monitored closely given the
possible risk of progression to severe illness in the second week after symptom onset.

Cao. B (2020) etal, some patients with COVID-19 will have severe disease requiring
hospitalization for management. Complications of severe COVID-19 include pneumonia,
hypoxemic respiratory failure/ARDS, sepsis and septic shock, cardiomyopathy and
arrhythmia, acute kidney injury, and complications from prolonged hospitalization including
secondary bacterial infections. No specific treatment for COVID-19 is currently FDA
approved. Corticosteroids have been widely used in hospitalized patients with severe illness

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in China however, the benefit of corticosteroid use cannot be determined based upon
uncontrolled observational data.

All sections of the Zimbabwean society, including businesses and employers must play a
role if we are to stop the spread of this disease by making sure their workplaces are clean and
hygienic ,all surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) need to
be wiped with disinfectant regularly since contamination on surfaces touched by employees
and customers is one of the main ways that COVID-19 spreads

Brownwell K.D (2009) etal, asserts that government should impose strict measures to
discourage large and unnecessary gatherings. Never the less, in case of unavoidable
gatherings like funerals, all organizers, participants, caterers and visitors at the event must
provide mobile telephone numbers, email and address where they are staying. It should be
stated clearly that their details will be shared with local public health authorities if any
participant becomes ill with a suspected infectious disease. If they will not agree to this they
cannot attend the event or meeting. Develop and agree a response plan in case someone at the
meeting becomes ill with symptoms of COVID-19 (dry cough, fever, malaise). This plan
should include identifying a room or area where someone who is feeling unwell or has
symptoms can be safely isolated and having a plan for how they can be safely transferred
from there to a health facility. They should also know what to do if a meeting participant,
staff member or service provider tests positive for COVID-19 during or just after the meeting

Government must implement lockdown which include closing of schools and other busineses
(Graves S.M 2017). However, there are essential services that will remain functioning hence
they must promote regular teleworking across the organizations. Zimbabwe as a nation must
restrain people from making unnecessary movement in and outside the country however if
there are journeys that are unavoidable we must consider before traveling to make sure one
has the latest information on areas where COVID-19 is spreading. Strick screening should be
done at the borders. Returning citizens should be quarantined and tested for the virus.

If there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in your community the health authorities may advise
people to avoid public transport and crowded places. Consider how to identify persons who
may be at risk, and support them, without inviting stigma and discrimination into your
workplace.

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In conclusion all of the above mentioned measures to reduce the Spread of COVID-19 are of
paramount importance, nevertheless they bring forth with them some negativity to the public,
for instance in Zimbabwe larger part of the population is unemployed and they hustle in day
in day out for a living hence imposing lockdown impacts badly on their lives. Closing of
school before the scheduled time stalls progress in learning.

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REFERENCES

Wu, F., Zhao, S., Yu, B., Chen, Y.M., Wang, W., Song, Z.G., Hu, Y., Tao, Z.W., Tian, J.H., Pei, Y.Y.
and Yuan, M.L., 2020. A new coronavirus associated with human respiratory disease in
China. Nature, 579(7798), pp.265-269.

Hunter, P.R. and Nichols, G., 2002. Epidemiology and clinical features of Cryptosporidium infection in
immunocompromised patients. Clinical microbiology reviews, 15(1), pp.145-154.

Sandora, T.J., Taveras, E.M., Shih, M.C., Resnick, E.A., Lee, G.M., Ross-Degnan, D. and Goldmann,
D.A., 2005. A randomized, controlled trial of a multifaceted intervention including alcohol-based hand
sanitizer and hand-hygiene education to reduce illness transmission in the home. Pediatrics, 116(3),
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McNamara, L., COVID-19—Fighting Fear and The Coronavirus Pandemic with Precautions and
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Damani, N., 2019. Manual of infection prevention and control. Oxford University Press, USA.

Gao, J., Tian, Z. and Yang, X., 2020. Breakthrough: Chloroquine phosphate has shown apparent
efficacy in treatment of COVID-19 associated pneumonia in clinical studies. Bioscience trends.

Department of Health and Great Britain. Dept. of Health, 2006. Our health, our care, our say: A new
direction for community services (Vol. 6737). The Stationery Office.

File Jr, T.M., 2003. Community-acquired pneumonia. The Lancet, 362(9400), pp.1991-2001.

Cao, B., Wang, Y., Wen, D., Liu, W., Wang, J., Fan, G., Ruan, L., Song, B., Cai, Y., Wei, M. and Li,
X., 2020. A trial of lopinavir–ritonavir in adults hospitalized with severe Covid-19. New England
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Brownell, K.D. and Warner, K.E., 2009. The perils of ignoring history: Big Tobacco played dirty and
millions died. How similar is Big Food?. The Milbank Quarterly, 87(1), pp.259-294.

Graves, S.M., 2017. Lockdown Terminology in K-12 Schools: Why It Is Okay To Use Codes And
Which Codes Are Best.