Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) poses an important occupational health risk to health workers (HWs) that has attracted global scrutiny. To date, several thousand HWs globally have been reported as infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus that causes the disease. It is therefore a public health priority for policymakers to understand risk factors for this vulnerable group to avert occupational transmission. A rapid review was carried out on 20 April 2020 on Covid-19 risk factors among HWs in PubMed, Google Scholar, and EBSCOHost Web (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE with Full Text, CINAHL with Full Text, APA PsycInfo, Health Source—Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition) and WHO Global Database. We also searched for preprints on the medRxiv database. We searched for reports, reviews, and primary observational studies (case control, case cross-over, cross-sectional, and cohort). The review included studies conducted among HWs with Covid-19 that reported risk factors irrespective of their sample size. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Lack of personal protective equipment, exposure to infected patients, work overload, poor infection control, and preexisting medical conditions were identified as risk factors for Covid-19 among HWs. In the context of Covid-19, HWs face an unprecedented occupational risk of morbidity and mortality. There is need for rapid development of sustainable measures that protect HWs from the pandemic.

Global powerhouses with tried and tested health systems have struggled to contain the COVID‐19 pandemic. One is left to wonder what will be left of Africa, the second most populous continent after Asia, which is torn by civil wars, hunger, and diseases like AIDS and TB and, in recent years, the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). The majority of countries’ health systems, already dependent on donor aid, are ill‐equipped and under‐resourced to deal with the raging pandemic. There is a lack of isolation and intensive care infrastructure, ventilators, and financial resources to bankroll the fight against COVID‐19 pandemic. However, there is some cause for optimism, for example, in West Africa where infrastructure like diagnostic testing facilities, intensive care units, surveillance, and systems for reporting emergencies used during the EVD outbreak of 2013–2016 can be leveraged to fight the COVID‐19 pandemic. Further, a number of African countries have responded swiftly by activating the necessary political and financial tools to combat the pandemic. Technical support from continental bodies like the Africa Centers for Disease Control and global development partners has improved the capacity of the continent to handle the pandemic. In this article, the authors unpack, review, and share a perspective on Africa's capacity to contain and control the COVID‐19 pandemic and review the current response.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) scourge has challenged the world's health systems and presented multiple socio-economic and public health challenges to the states it has affected. Zimbabwe has been affected by the pandemic, and in response, the government has set up an array of measures, including a national lockdown, to curb transmission. While it is critical to maintain such vigorous containment measures, socio-economic pressures in Zimbabwe will challenge the sustainability of the lockdown. Given the potential for lift of the lockdown before the Covid-19 pandemic ends, we discuss the Covid-19 pandemic situation in Zimbabwe and viewpoints on important considerations and strategies for lifting the lockdown.

Cervical cancer screening coverage remains low in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) due to limited access and low uptake of available services by women. The use of HPV-based self-sampling intervention for cervical cancer screening has the potential to increase screening coverage in the region. This study aimed to analyse qualitative evidence on the experiences and perspectives of women, healthcare workers, and policymakers regarding HPV self-sampling. We reviewed qualitative studies from January 2011 to March 2023 in PubMed, Scopus, Medline Ovid, Cochrane, and WEB of Science databases for articles with qualitative data on HPV self-sampling from different countries in SSA. The socio-ecological model was used to guide data analysis and the study findings. Thirteen qualitative studies were included for analysis, and they revealed themes under the intrapersonal, interpersonal, community, and health systems constructs of the Socio-ecological model. Intrapersonal themes included the acceptability of self-sampling, self-efficacy, and the perceived value of self-sampling. The interpersonal construct had themes such as women's spousal relationships, peer support, and the health worker's relationship with the women. The community construct had two themes: social stigma and misinformation, and the influence of cultural norms and religion. Finally, the health systems construct had themes such as the setting for self-sampling, follow-up availability of treatment services and education and awareness. This study highlights the factors influencing the acceptability and uptake of an HPV-based self-sampling intervention for cervical cancer screening in SSA. Considering these findings when designing interventions in SSA is crucial to ensure acceptance and demand among end-users. Self-sampling interventions offer the potential to reach many unscreened women and increase cervical cancer screening coverage in SSA, which is an essential strategy towards achieving the World Health Organisation's cervical cancer elimination targets by the close of the century.

Objectives The objective of this scoping review was to map evidence on the acceptability of self-sampling for human papillomavirus testing (HPVSS) for cervical cancer screening among women in the sub-Saharan Africa region. Design Scoping review. Methods Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, we searched Scopus, PubMed, Medline Ovid, Cochrane and Web of Science databases for evidence on the acceptability of HPVSS among women aged 25 years and older published between January 2011 and July 2021. We included studies that reported evidence on the acceptability of HPVSS for cervical cancer screening. Review articles and protocols were excluded. We also searched for evidence from grey literature sources such as dissertations/theses, conference proceedings, websites of international organisations such as WHO and relevant government reports. Two reviewers independently performed the extraction using a pre-designed Excel spreadsheet and emerging themes were narratively summarised. Results The initial search retrieved 1018 articles. Of these, 19 articles were eligible and included in the review. The following themes emerged from the included articles: acceptability of HPVSS; lack of self-efficacy to perform HPVSS, complications when performing HPVSS, preferences for provider sampling or assistance; setting of HPVSS; HPVSS by vulnerable populations. Conclusion Evidence shows that HPVSS is highly acceptable for cervical cancer screening in sub-Saharan Africa. Further research exploring the acceptability of HPVSS among women residing in rural areas is required, as well as studies to determine women’s preferences for HPVSS intervention including the preferred type of sampling devices. Knowledge on the acceptability and preferences for HPVSS is important in designing women-centred interventions that have the potential to increase screening coverage and participation in cervical cancer screening programmes.