Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 28, 2025

Determining Gender-Based Differences in Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Underweight Individuals via Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography
03:35

Determining Gender-Based Differences in Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Underweight Individuals via Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography

Published on: December 1, 2023

476

A Crisis within a Crisis: COVID-19 and Hunger in African Children

Abdullahi Tunde Aborode1,2, Samuel Olarewaju Ogunsola2,3, Abidemi Olugbenga Adeyemo3,4

  • 11Healthy Africans Platform, Research and Development, Ibadan, Nigeria.

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
|November 25, 2020
PubMed

Insights

The COVID-19 pandemic is worsening Africa's hunger and malnutrition crisis, particularly impacting children. Restrictions threaten livelihoods, increasing food insecurity and health risks for vulnerable populations.

Area of Science:

  • Global Health
  • Public Health
  • African Studies

Background:

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights COVID-19's potential to worsen Africa's existing malnutrition burden.
  • Pre-existing hunger and undernourishment in Africa create a vulnerable context for the pandemic.
  • Movement restrictions associated with COVID-19 are anticipated to increase widespread hunger and malnutrition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the compounded crisis of COVID-19 and hunger in Africa.
  • To examine the specific impact of this dual crisis on child well-being in Africa.

Main Methods:

  • This is a perspective piece, synthesizing existing information and expert opinion.
  • Analysis of the intersection between public health measures, economic impacts, and food security.

Main Results:

  • COVID-19 exacerbates pre-existing malnutrition and hunger in Africa.
  • Threats to livelihoods and household economies amplify food insecurity.
  • Children are identified as a particularly vulnerable group within this crisis.

Conclusions:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic presents a "crisis within a crisis" for hunger and malnutrition in Africa.
  • Urgent attention is needed to mitigate the severe impact on child well-being.
  • Addressing both the health and economic dimensions is crucial for food security in Africa.

More Related Videos

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil06:48

Breakfast Habits among Schoolchildren in the City of Uruguaiana, Brazil

Published on: July 29, 2020

4.8K
Comprehensive & Cost Effective Laboratory Monitoring of HIV/AIDS: an African Role Model23:56

Comprehensive & Cost Effective Laboratory Monitoring of HIV/AIDS: an African Role Model

Published on: October 31, 2010

17.0K

Related Concept Videos

What is Climate?01:16

What is Climate?

Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
20.1K
Primary Motives: Hunger and Thirst01:25

Primary Motives: Hunger and Thirst

Hunger and thirst are fundamental physiological drives crucial for maintaining homeostasis and ensuring the survival of both humans and animals. These drives are regulated through complex interactions between the brain, hormones, and sensory receptors.
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus...
1.1K
Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism01:19

Overview of Carbohydrate Metabolism

Carbohydrate metabolism is a fundamental biochemical process that ensures a constant supply of energy to living cells. The most important carbohydrate is glucose, which can be broken down via glycolysis to enter into the Krebs cycle and eventually lead to the production of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation.
Glucose transport into cells is facilitated by a family of transport proteins called GLUT (Glucose Transporters). GLUT4 is the primary glucose transporter for insulin-stimulated glucose...
2.7K
Anorexia Nervosa01:28

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of weight gain, an unrelenting pursuit of thinness, and a distorted body image. It often leads to dangerously low body weight relative to an individual's age and height. This disorder is marked by significant physical and psychological consequences, making it one of the most life-threatening psychiatric illnesses.
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
557
Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience,...
21.7K
Metabolic States of the Body: Fasting and Starvation01:24

Metabolic States of the Body: Fasting and Starvation

During the initial hours of fasting, the body uses up its glycogen stores as an energy source. Once these glycogen reserves are depleted, the body begins breaking down stored triglycerides and structural proteins. During this stage, glycerol becomes a key substrate for gluconeogenesis, while free fatty acids undergo beta-oxidation to provide energy for tissues, such as skeletal muscle. In the fasting state, the body spares protein breakdown as much as possible to conserve muscle and structural...
2.3K