Psychological Stress among the Pregnant Women and Mothers of Infants during COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh

17, November 2020 | Bangladesh

Authors:

Abstract

The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health threat and is one of the largest outbreaks in recorded human history. Within weeks of the ini�al outbreak, the total number of cases and deaths exceeded those of SARS. The outbreak was first revealed in late December 2019 in China and since then, the number of cases has con�nued to escalate exponen�ally, spreading to 210 countries and 2 interna�onal conveyances. Till 18th April 2020, almost 2.5 million people were affected by COVID-19 and 152,978 people died worldwide (h�ps://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/). In Bangladesh, the total detected cases are 1838 with 75 deaths, according to the Ins�tute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR). Director-General of the World Health Organiza�on, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus men�oned that “The impact of the ongoing pandemic on people’s mental health is already extremely concerning.” So, a �mely understanding of mental health status is urgently needed for public health policymakers and prac��oners. Previous research revealed a profound and wide range of psychosocial impacts on people at the individual, community, and interna�onal levels during outbreaks of infec�on in 2003[1]. To avoid the transmission of the coronavirus, a worldwide lockdown has been declared at different �mes.