NITA BHALLA AFRICA’S 1.3 billion people may have fared better than expected in terms of containing COVID-19 but the pandemic has dealt a severe blow to already weak health services, raising fears of excess deaths from other illnesses plaguing the continent. A World Health Organization (WHO) analysis of 14 African countries found a more than 50% decline in services ranging from the provision of skilled birth attendants to the treatment of malaria cases in May, June and July this year. "The COVID-19 pandemic has brought hidden, dangerous knock-on effects for health in Africa," Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said in…