b'HEALTHCOVID-19 Impact in AfricaAndtheKingshallanswerunto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one if the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me Matthew 25:40By Byron Conner, MDC ovid-19 is a new or novel disease causedbytheSars-Cov-2-virus and was declared by the World Health Organization as a public health emer-gencyasofJanuary30,2020,and then as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Thisdiseasewasfirstnotedin December 2019 in The Hubei province of China. The disease has since spread toallcountriesexceptNorthKorea andTurkmenistan(incentralAsia), and has spared Antarctica. ConnerThisparticularillnesspresents mostly as a respiratory tract infection, althoughthosewithchronickidneyand less disease such as Covid-19.disease may be at high risk for devel- Despite weaker health care systems, oping severe disease.and facilities, surveillance is important The African continent is at high riskfor Africa.forkidneydiseaseastherearefew nephrologists on the continent. There aremorbiditiesontheAfricanconti-nent related to acute kidney injury.Africaaccountsfor17.2%ofthe worlds population, and only about 5%This particular illness of the total Covid cases diagnosed, and 3% of the related mortality. presents mostly as SouthAfricaandEgypthavethe largestnumberofpatientsrequiringa respiratory tract theneedforanephrologist.South Africa,Egypt,andNigeriahavetheinfection, although greatest need for renal services most likely due to hypertension and greaterthose with chronic population density.Thepopulationdensityismuchkidney disease may lowerthanmanyofthecountriesin other continents. also be at high risk.Africa is the youngest continent on theplanetwithamedianageof18. Hence, they have a younger population 4 SEPTEMBER 2021 BOCNEWS.com'