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Background: COVID-19 prevention and mitigation efforts were abrupt and challenging for most countries with the protracted lockdown straining socioeconomic activities. Marginalized groups and individuals are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of the pandemic such as human rights abuses and violations which can lead to psychological distress. In this review, we focus on mental distress and disturbances that have emanated due to human rights restrictions and violations amidst the pandemic. We underscore how mental health is both directly impacted by the force of pandemic and by prevention and mitigation structures put in place to combat the disease. Methods: We conducted a review of relevant studies examining human rights violations in COVID-19 response, with a focus on vulnerable populations, and its association with mental health and psychological well-being. We searched PubMed and Embase databases for studies between December 2019 to July 2020. Three reviewers evaluated the eligibility criteria and extracted data. Results: Twenty-four studies were included in the systematic inquiry reporting on distress due to human rights violations. Unanimously, the studies found vulnerable populations to be at a high risk for mental distress. Limited mobility rights disproportionately harmed psychiatric patients, low-income individuals, and minorities who were at higher risk for self-harm and worsening mental health. Healthcare workers suffered negative mental health consequences due to stigma and lack of personal protective equipment and stigma. Other vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and refugees also experienced negative consequences. Conclusions: This review emphasizes the need to uphold human rights and address long term mental health needs of populations that have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic. Countries can embed a proactive psychosocial response to medical management as well as in existing prevention strategies. International human rights guidelines are useful in this direction but an emphasis should be placed on strengthening rights informed psychosocial response with specific strategies to enhance mental health in the long-term. We underscore that various fundamental human rights are interdependent and therefore undermining one leads to a poor impact on the others. We strongly recommend global efforts toward focusing both on minimizing fatalities, protecting human rights, and promoting long term mental well-being.

Globally, dietary factors are responsible for about one in five deaths. In many low- and middle-income countries different forms of malnutrition (including obesity and undernutrition) can co-exist within the same population. This double burden of malnutrition is placing a disproportional strain on health systems, slowing progress towards universal health coverage (UHC). Poor nutrition also impedes the growth of local economies, ultimately affecting the global economy. In this article, we argue that comprehensive primary health care should be used as a platform to address the double burden of malnutrition. We use a conceptual framework based on human rights and the Astana Declaration on primary health care to examine existing recommendations and propose guidance on how policy-makers and providers of community-oriented primary health care can strengthen the role of nutrition within the UHC agenda. Specifically, we propose four thematic areas for action: (i) bridging narratives and strengthening links between the primary health care and the nutrition agenda with nutrition as a human rights issue; (ii) encouraging primary health-care providers to support local multisectoral action on nutrition; (iii) empowering communities and patients to address unhealthy diets; and (iv) ensuring the delivery of high-quality promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative nutrition interventions. For each theme we summarize the available strategies, policies and interventions that can be used by primary health-care providers and policy-makers to strengthen nutrition in primary health care and thus the UHC agenda. Environ un deces sur cinq dans le monde est du a des facteurs alimentaires. Dans de nombreux pays a faible et moyen revenu, differentes formes de malnutrition (y compris l'obesite et la denutrition) peuvent coexister au sein d'une merme population. Ce double fardeau de malnutrition exerce une pression demesuree sur les systemes de sante, ralentlssant la progression vers une couverture maladle unlverselle (CMU). Une mauvalse alimentation entra ve egalement la crolssance des economies locales, ce qui enfin de compteaffectel'economie mondiale. Dans cet article, nous estimons qu'll est imperatlf d'utillser une approche globale des soins de sante primaires commeplateforme pours'attaquer au double fardeau de la malnutrition. Nous avons employe un cadre conceptuel fonde sur les droits humainset la Declaration d'Astana sur les soins de sante primaires. D'une part pour examiner les recommandations existantes, et d'autre part pour fournir un eclairage sur la maniere dont les legislateurs et les prestataires de soins de sante primaires, implantes au niveau communautaire, peuvent renforcer le role de la nutrition dans le programme de CMU. Nous proposons plusexactementquatre champs d'action: (i) aligner les discours et consolider les liens entre les soins de sante primaires et le programme de nutrition, en integrant ce dernier dans la thematique des droits humains; (ii) encourager les prestataires de soins de sante primaires a soutenlr les Initiatives locales multisectorielles portant sur la nutrition; (iii) donner aux patients et aux collectivites le pouvoir de lutter contre l'alimentation desequilibree; et enfin, (iv) assurer la mise en ceuvre d'interventions de qualite pour la promotion, la prevention, le traitement et la rehabilitation en matiere de nutrition. Pour chaque champ d'action, nous resumons les strategies, politiques et interventions a la disposition des legislateurs et prestataires de soins de sante primaires pour renforcer le role de la nutrition dans les soins de sante primaires et, par consequent, le programme de CMU. Los factores alimentarios son responsables de aproximadamente una de cada cinco muertes en todo el mundo. Diferentes tipos de malnutricion (incluidas la obesidad y la desnutricion) pueden coexistir en la misma poblacion de muchos paises de ingresos bajos y medios. Esta doble carga de la malnutricion esta ejerciendo una presion desproporcionada sobre los sistemas sanitarios, lo que ralentiza los progresos hacia la cobertura sanitaria universal (CSU). Ademas, la mala nutricion dificulta el crecimiento de las economias locales, lo que en ultima instancia afecta a la economia global. En este articulo, se argumenta que la atencion primaria de salud integral se deberia utilizar como plataforma para abordar la doble carga de la malnutricion. Se utiliza un marco conceptual basado en los derechos humanos y en la Declaracion de Astana sobre la atencion primaria de salud para analizar las recomendaciones existentes y proponer directrices sobre como los responsables de formular las politicas y los proveedores de atencion primaria de salud orientada a la comunidad pueden fortalecer la funcion de la nutricion dentro del programa de la CSU. En concreto, se proponen cuatro areas tematicas de accion: (i) narrativas de vinculacion y fortalecimiento de los vinculos entre la atencion primaria de salud y el programa de nutricion en donde la nutricion sea una cuestion de derechos humanos; (ii) alentar a los proveedores de atencion primaria de salud a que apoyen la medida multisectorial local sobre la nutricion; (iii) potenciar a las comunidades y a los pacientes para tratar las dietas poco saludables; y (iv) garantizar la realizacion de intervenciones de nutricion de alta calidad de tipo promocional, preventivo, curativo y de rehabilitacion. Para cada tema se resumen las estrategias, politicas e intervenciones disponibles que los proveedores de atencion primaria de salud y los responsables de formular las politicas pueden utilizar para fortalecer la nutricion en la atencion primaria de salud y, por consiguiente, el programa de la CSU. [phrase omitted], Introduction About one in five deaths globally are attributable to poor diets, making dietary factors responsible for 11 million deaths annually, more than any other risk factors covered by the [...]

The Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) are committed to achieve quality, equity and dignity for women, newborns and children as reflected in the four World Health Assembly [...]