Opinions on the low incidence of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa: mini- review.
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Keywords

Covid-19
Sub-Saharan Africa
age
climate
temperature
ultraviolet

How to Cite

1.
Doutchi M, Ibrahim M, Garba A, Amadou M, Hassan M, Abdoulaye O, et al. Opinions on the low incidence of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa: mini- review. J Sah Sci Santé [Internet]. 2021 Jun. 1 [cited 2026 Oct. 14];1(1):55-60. Available from: https://www.j3s-fss-uas.org/index.php/jsss/article/view/26

Abstract

Introduction :
Several theories have attempted to explain the slow progression of SARS Cov-2 infection and its lethality in Africa. The first forecasts made a case of a massacre in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) because of the weakness of the health system. The objective of this mini-review is to analyze the different theories and hypotheses explaining the low progression of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa.

Methodology :
A literature search was carried out on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Science Direct using the following keywords: Coronavirus, Covid-19, SARS-CoV 2, climate and sub-Saharan Africa. The study included articles published between January 5, 2020 and August 30, 2021.

Results :
Out of a total of 217,491,077 cases and 4,519,193 deaths from COVID-19, Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for only 3.5% of cases and 4.3% of deaths. Various hypotheses on this weak progression of Covid 19 in SSA have been put forward: the virulence of the viral strain, young age, low population density, co-infections, cross-immunity, chemoprophylaxis, temperature high and ultraviolet (UV).

Conclusion :
weather conditions of which UV, age and ecosystem have been identified as important elements in correlation with the incidence of COVID-19. However, this situation should not ignore the need for vaccination coverage against the coronavirus and the use of other preventive measures against this pandemic in SSA.

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Copyright (c) 2021 M Doutchi, M Ibrahim, A Garba, M Amadou, M Hassan, O Abdoulaye, E Adehossi