Challenges in the management of corona virus in pregnancy in low resource countries

Background: Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a potentially lethal infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome. Pregnancy is a state of partial immune suppression, which makes pregnant women more vulnerable to viral infections. COVID-19 pandemic presents many challenges in when it coexists with pregnancy in resource-poor countries with background ignorance and deficient health infrastructure. Materials and Methods: A literature search for studies on COVID-19 was performed using Google Scholar search database, PubMed, Medline, and ScienceDirect. The bibliographies of included studies were also searched for additional references. About 85 articles were identified. Twenty-five articles were considered suitable for review. Results: An extensive review of management of COVID-19 in pregnancy and challenges confronting its management in resource-poor countries was presented. These challenges included poor health infrastructure, poor testing capacity, and nonadherence or impracticable preventive measures including physical distancing, hand hygiene, inadequate personal protective equipment, and stigmatization. Specific challenges related to pregnancy were availability of blood and blood products, labor management, operative deliveries, and postdelivery management. Conclusions: Current evidence suggests that its pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and management are influenced by pregnancy. The outcomes of pregnancy and COVID-19 are negatively influenced by similar problems of ignorance, poverty, and deficient health infrastructure. COVID-19, therefore, has the potential for worsening maternal mortality in low-resource nations.