Pacific nations face wider health crisis as systems focus on stopping Covid-19
by Ben Doherty Pacific Editor and Daniel Hurst from on (#56917)
As cases mount in Papua New Guinea, experts warn already fragile services will not be able to combat other diseases such as TB, HIV/Aids and malaria
As Papua New Guinea stands on the edge of the precipice of an unchecked Covid-19 outbreak, and other Pacific island nations face economic devastation trying to keep the virus from their shores, health professionals have warned the broader health impacts of the fight against the novel coronavirus could be as devastating as the virus itself.
Efforts to combat endemic diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/Aids, and malaria could be derailed by counter-Covid measures, dramatically increasing deaths across the developing world, a study published in the Lancet has found.
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