MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND GAIN OF FUNCTION RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Charles Fokuang*, Tembe Estella Achick, Dobgima John Fomnboh, Awah Pascal, Banin Andrew Nyuyki, Fokam Joseph, Lovet Benyella Fokunang, Ralf Duerr, Ejoh Richard, Sarah Tishkoff, Abena Ondoua M. T.

ABSTRACT

Many schools of thoughts from different disciplines, including anthropology, recognize a new era of dynamics related to human impact on the planet. The new terminology called “Anthropocene” reminds us that our species has been responsible for increased carbon emissions, global warming, continuous destruction of habitat and vegetation and the direct elimination of the biomass of vast cocktail of rich diversity of fauna and flora linked to climatic oscillation. As of April 2020, the global situation of the world appears to be something alien and beyond human imagination. The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the global human population with impact so hard than the human race has ever witnessed. The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARSCOV-2) the causal pathogen for COVID-19 has not overpowered the human race. However, there is certainly the shift in paradigm in health pandemic disaster global management. The term “Coronacene” might well be as worthy of attention as the “Anthropocene.” This review paper attempts to give an overview of the medical anthropology, artificial intelligence and the gain of function research perspective and the contribution in the management of COVID-19 pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa.

Keywords: medical anthropology, coronacene, Anthropocene, artificial intelligence, COVID-19 pandemic, gain of function research.