THIS week's community column is written by health columnist, Lucy Dunn.
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WITH so much information circulating about coronavirus, it is easy to get confused and misled by news articles and changing regulations. This week, I have examined some of the more recent academic journal articles regarding Covid-19: what stuff hasn’t quite made the news, but could be relevant or interesting for us to know?
The first publication was on the impact of Covid-19 on women’s health, globally. With the feminist movement gathering strength around the world, could coronavirus threaten to suppress progress?
The paper describes concerns raised by the UN Population Fund, with evidence of global amplification of domestic abuse, femicides and lacking access to health services. The closure of a vast number of sexual health and women’s health services across the globe looks to be catastrophic: changes to normal procedure has affected one of the largest family planning services in India, and 2.3 million unplanned pregnancies may go ahead as a result.
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Often the women affected are trapped in repressive home situations; with the worldwide disintegration of the job market, many have been forced to both stay at home and rely more on their partner, often creating an unpleasant power dynamic linked with domestic abuse. India is only an example; the problem applies globally and ignites fear for a possible second lockdown.
The second paper was a more science-based systemic review of the potential brain-related consequences of Covid-19. It looked at studies that were focused on healthy people, patients, and animals vulnerable to human viruses.
Interestingly, it seems a number of coronaviruses can exert effects on the brain. The infection from the bug starts and spreads in lung airways and by infecting nerves, the virus travels to the brain causing “encephalitis”: inflammation of the brain due to infection. This review examined a variety of coronaviruses but emphasises that brain disease has been noted in Covid-19 patients.
Both fascinating articles are only a tiny fraction of the myriad of academic research on the social and medical impacts of coronavirus online.
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