Beyond transmission: Dire need for integration of nutrition interventions in COVID-19 pandemic-response strategies in Developing Countries like Pakistan

Nutrition interventions in COVID-19 pandemic

  • Rubina Hakeem RLAK Govt. College of Home Economics Karachi
  • Muhammad Adil Sheikh University of Michigan
Keywords: COVID-19 NUTRITION PAKISTAN

Abstract

Synergistic associations between infection and nutrition are well known. Impact of nutrition interventions on the outcomes have been scientifically assessed and reported. The role of nutrition in limiting the infection related morbidity and mortality does not appear to be a debatable question but nutrition interventions do not appear to be an essential part of current COVID-19 management strategies. Given the nature of pandemic and lack of organism-specific evidence, variability in nutrition interventions and lack of nutrition interventions is not unexpected. However, delay in realization of the crucial need of nutrition interventions to limit the immediate and long term outcomes at personal and community level may aggravate health related issues that can have long term impact on quality of life and economy. Due to existing undernutrition and lack of nutrition related awareness and competence, need for timely and appropriate interventions is much more critical for developing countries. This manuscript highlights the need and feasibility of various nutrition interventions to assure optimum quality of life during and after COVID-19 pandemic. Available evidence provides enough guidance for nutrition interventions that are safe and promise to accrue various degrees of benefits with almost no likelihood of harm. Nutrition interventions suggested by author are: 1) population level efforts for promoting better use of existing resources; 2) quicker augmentation of nutrition status of high risk people and non-hospitalized cases by use of supplement and individualized guidance and 3) nutritional support of sever case by timely and adequate enteral and parenteral feeding.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2784

How to cite this:
Hakeem R, Sheikh MA. Beyond transmission: Dire need for integration of nutrition interventions in COVID-19 pandemic-response strategies in Developing Countries like Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(COVID19-S4):COVID19-S85-S89.
doi: https://doi.org/ 10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2784

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Published
2020-05-19
How to Cite
Hakeem, R., & Sheikh, M. A. (2020). Beyond transmission: Dire need for integration of nutrition interventions in COVID-19 pandemic-response strategies in Developing Countries like Pakistan: Nutrition interventions in COVID-19 pandemic. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 36(COVID19-S4). https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2784