Volume 50, Issue 1, August 2020, Pages 99–107
Victor Buhendwa Mirindi1, S. Batina Agasa2, F. Lusamaki Mukunda3, René Nyaminani Nyamwanga4, J-M. Mbaka Kavuvu5, V. Witumbula Katambwe6, John Lupwenge Kaicha7, B. Mashimango Bonane8, A. Bosuandole Litua9, and J-P. Banea Mayombo10
1 Professeur, départements de nutrition, Université de Kisangani (Faculté de médecine et pharmacie) - Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu (ISTM-Bukavu), RD Congo
2 Professeur, Doyen de la faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Université de Kisangani, RD Congo
3 Chef de Travaux, département de nutrition, Faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Université de Kisangani, RD Congo
4 Chef de Travaux, département de nutrition, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu (ISTM-Bukavu), RD Congo
5 Chef de Travaux, département de nutrition, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu (ISTM-Bukavu), RD Congo
6 Chefs de Travaux, Départment de nutrition, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu, Province du Sud-Kivu, RD Congo
7 Chef de Travaux, département de santé publique, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales (ISTM-Kinshasa), RD Congo
8 Assistant, département de nutrition, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu (ISTM-Bukavu), RD Congo
9 Assistant, département de nutrition, Faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Université de Kisangani, RD Congo
10 Professeur Ordinaire, ISTM-Kinshasa (Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Kinshasa), RD Congo
Original language: English
Copyright © 2020 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background: The covid-19 has reached DRC. Numbers of confirmed cases and deaths are increasing despite the confinement strategy implemented since March 2020. In addition, mainly for economic reasons, the population is claiming for the confinement measures to be waived, which may lead to an increase of the risk of infection, morbidity and mortality related to Covid-19, which calls for a more focused prevention strategy. Nevertheless, Covid-19 prevention approach is more social distancing and hygiene oriented, with few attention to nutrition and other lifestyle aspects such as alcohol use, smoking and physical activity.Objective: to support the DRC health authority’s efforts for empowering populations for better prevention, by designing a more comprehensive approach including nutrition and other lifestyle factors.Design: This paper is a context analysis and a review and viewpoints about different health aspects that should be integrated when designing a national comprehensive strategy to prevent covid-19 in DRC.Conclusion and recommendations: The public health authorities to empower the populations against Covid-19 infection through a comprehensive approach consisting of sensitization at all levels, not only about social distancing and washing hands as it’s being the case, but also and of utmost importance, about nutrition and other lifestyle factors such as alcohol use, smoking and physical activity since they affect immunity. The nutrition factor should include the dietetic management of patients with chronic diseases and/or co-infections. Therefore, task forces for fighting covid-19epidemic in DRC should include nutrition specialists and researchers for more comprehensive approaches against covid-19, to the ultimate interest of the population.
Author Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, DRC, lifestyle, nutrition, lifestyle factors, chronic diseases, co-infections.
Victor Buhendwa Mirindi1, S. Batina Agasa2, F. Lusamaki Mukunda3, René Nyaminani Nyamwanga4, J-M. Mbaka Kavuvu5, V. Witumbula Katambwe6, John Lupwenge Kaicha7, B. Mashimango Bonane8, A. Bosuandole Litua9, and J-P. Banea Mayombo10
1 Professeur, départements de nutrition, Université de Kisangani (Faculté de médecine et pharmacie) - Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu (ISTM-Bukavu), RD Congo
2 Professeur, Doyen de la faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Université de Kisangani, RD Congo
3 Chef de Travaux, département de nutrition, Faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Université de Kisangani, RD Congo
4 Chef de Travaux, département de nutrition, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu (ISTM-Bukavu), RD Congo
5 Chef de Travaux, département de nutrition, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu (ISTM-Bukavu), RD Congo
6 Chefs de Travaux, Départment de nutrition, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu, Province du Sud-Kivu, RD Congo
7 Chef de Travaux, département de santé publique, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales (ISTM-Kinshasa), RD Congo
8 Assistant, département de nutrition, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Bukavu (ISTM-Bukavu), RD Congo
9 Assistant, département de nutrition, Faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Université de Kisangani, RD Congo
10 Professeur Ordinaire, ISTM-Kinshasa (Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Kinshasa), RD Congo
Original language: English
Copyright © 2020 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Background: The covid-19 has reached DRC. Numbers of confirmed cases and deaths are increasing despite the confinement strategy implemented since March 2020. In addition, mainly for economic reasons, the population is claiming for the confinement measures to be waived, which may lead to an increase of the risk of infection, morbidity and mortality related to Covid-19, which calls for a more focused prevention strategy. Nevertheless, Covid-19 prevention approach is more social distancing and hygiene oriented, with few attention to nutrition and other lifestyle aspects such as alcohol use, smoking and physical activity.Objective: to support the DRC health authority’s efforts for empowering populations for better prevention, by designing a more comprehensive approach including nutrition and other lifestyle factors.Design: This paper is a context analysis and a review and viewpoints about different health aspects that should be integrated when designing a national comprehensive strategy to prevent covid-19 in DRC.Conclusion and recommendations: The public health authorities to empower the populations against Covid-19 infection through a comprehensive approach consisting of sensitization at all levels, not only about social distancing and washing hands as it’s being the case, but also and of utmost importance, about nutrition and other lifestyle factors such as alcohol use, smoking and physical activity since they affect immunity. The nutrition factor should include the dietetic management of patients with chronic diseases and/or co-infections. Therefore, task forces for fighting covid-19epidemic in DRC should include nutrition specialists and researchers for more comprehensive approaches against covid-19, to the ultimate interest of the population.
Author Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, DRC, lifestyle, nutrition, lifestyle factors, chronic diseases, co-infections.
How to Cite this Article
Victor Buhendwa Mirindi, S. Batina Agasa, F. Lusamaki Mukunda, René Nyaminani Nyamwanga, J-M. Mbaka Kavuvu, V. Witumbula Katambwe, John Lupwenge Kaicha, B. Mashimango Bonane, A. Bosuandole Litua, and J-P. Banea Mayombo, “Covid-19 and nutrition: An empowering approach for preventing the Covid-19 epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),” International Journal of Innovation and Scientific Research, vol. 50, no. 1, pp. 99–107, August 2020.
