This brief summarises key considerations concerning cross-border dynamics between Tanzania and Uganda in the context of the outbreak of Ebola (Sudan Virus Disease, SVD) in Uganda. It is part of a series focusing on at-risk border areas between Uganda and four high priority neighbouring countries: Rwanda; Tanzania; Kenya and South Sudan.
This brief summarises key considerations concerning cross-border dynamics between Uganda and Kenya in the context of the outbreak of Ebola (Sudan Virus Disease, SVD) in Uganda. It is part of a series focusing on at-risk border areas between Uganda and four high priority neighbouring countries: Kenya; Rwanda; Tanzania, and South Sudan.
SSHAP supports the efforts of the Ugandan National Task Force, Ministry of Health and partners to incorporate anthropological and social science data and analysis in response to the outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Sudan virus in Uganda. Drawing on experience from previous Ebola outbreaks, the following points highlight how social science can make an effective contribution across the response.
On Wednesday 16 November 2022 between 12:00-15:00 GMT, The Wellcome Trust collaborative Pandemics Preparedness Project is hosting Shifting Power in Pandemics, a public webinar on connecting and supporting preparedness ‘from below’. Shifting Power in Pandemics, will explore issues surrounding connecting and supporting preparedness from below and feature expert speakers from Africa, the Americas and Europe, including investigators from SSHAP.
This study contributes to what is currently known about the experiences of girls in fighting forces as distinct from those of boys. It is meant to assist policymakers in developing policies and programs to help protect and empower girls in situations of armed conflict and postwar reconstruction. Within the context of Northern Uganda, Sierra Leone and Mozambique girls in the fighting forces have suffered major human rights violations, especially gender-based violence. The rights of these girls are under threat from their own governments, armed opposition forces, and, occasionally, by members of their communities and families. At times, girls are discriminated against by local groups and officials, governments and international bodies that are unwilling to recognise their presence, needs and rights during conflict, post-conflict, demobilisation and social reintegration.
Yet, within the fighting forces, girls carry out a number of diverse roles, including as fighters.
This document highlights on issues of Peace Recovery Development Plan (PRDP) and health service delivery in northern Uganda.The report reviews an assessment surrounding the recent influx of asylum seekers and refugees from South Sudan to Uganda and summarises its key findings as follows:rivalry over control of natural resources stands out as one of the major causes of the conflict in South Sudan South Sudan inter-tribal conflicts and the resultant influx of Sudanese to the host communities had varied impact on the host communities across the different sectors the divergence in culture and language as a practice and value between the host communities and the South Sudanese nationals tended to provide a repertoire through which each group responded or acted against each other with the high influx of the South Sudanese, the health sector has been undesirably impacted. In this sense, the paper notes that the region has been ‘cursed’ by serious,
The study examines the relationship between climatic factors and reported malaria cases using data from 12 districts in Uganda over the period 2000-2011. A panel dataset comprising temperature, temperature standard deviation; minimum humidity; maximum humidity; precipitation; precipitation standard deviation; malaria cases; health facilities; hospital beds; health workers; per capita health expenditure and gross domestic product per capita.
The Fixed Effects Model was found to be preferable. Health facilities, per capita GDP, the interaction of temperature and precipitation, the interaction of precipitation and variability in precipitation, maximum and minimum humidity have a significant positive effect on malaria cases. Hospital beds and health workers are significant and negatively related to malaria cases while per capita health expenditure, temperature, precipitation and variability in temperature have no effect
We exploit a spatial discontinuity in the coverage of an agricultural extension program in Uganda to causally identify its effects on malaria. We find that eligibility for the program reduced the incidence of malaria by 8.8 percentage points, with children and pregnant women experiencing most of these improvements.
An examination of the underlying mechanisms indicates that an increase in income and the resulting increase in the ownership and usage of bed nets is the most likely candidate driving these effects. Taken together, these results signify the importance of liquidity constraints in investments for malaria prevention and the potential role that agricultural development can play in easing it.
Ebola seems to be a particular risk in conflict affected contexts. All three of the countries most affected by the 2014-15 outbreak have a complex conflict-affected recent history. Other major outbreaks in the recent past, inNorthern Uganda and in the Democratic Republic of Congo are similarly afflicted although outbreaks have also occurred in stable settings. Although the 2014-15 outbreak in West Africa has received more attention than almost any other public health issue in recent months, very little of that attention has focused on the complex interaction between conflict and its aftermath and its implications for health systems, the emergence of the disease and the success or failure in controlling it.The health systems of conflict-affected states are characterized by a series of weaknesses, some common to other low and even middle income countries, others specifically conflict-related.
Added to this is the burden placed on health systems by the aggravated health problems associated with conflict.
This Rapid Response briefing from the Dynamic Drivers of Disease in Africa Consortium sets out recommendations for a new, integrated ‘One Health’ approach to zoonoses that moves away from top-down disease-focused intervention to putting people first.Over two thirds of all human infectious diseases have their origins in animals. The rate at which these zoonotic diseases have appeared in people has increased over the past 40 years, with at least 43 newly identified outbreaks since 2004.
In 2012, outbreaks included Ebola in Uganda (see Ebola box), yellow fever in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Mauritania. Zoonotic diseases have a huge impact – and a disproportionate one on the poorest people in the poorest countries. In low-income countries, 20% of human sickness and death is due to zoonoses. Poor people suffer further when development implications are not factored into disease planning and response strategies.
A major challenge to outbreak control lies in early detection of viral haemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) in local community contexts during the critical initial stages of an epidemic, when risk of spreading is its highest (“the first mile”). This paper documents how a major Ebola outbreak control effort in central Uganda in 2012 was experienced from the perspective of the community. It asks to what extent the community became a resource for early detection, and identifies problems encountered with community health worker and social mobilization strategies. Analysis is based on first-hand ethnographic data from the center of a small Ebola outbreak in Luwero Country, Uganda, in 2012. Three of this paper’s authors were engaged in an 18 month period of fieldwork on community health resources when the outbreak occurred. In total, 13 respondents from the outbreak site were interviewed, along with 21 key informants and 61 focus group respondents from nearby Kaguugo Parish.
In 2012 Uganda experienced many disease outbreaks including Measles, Ebola, Marburg and Nodding disease. Two Ebola outbreaks and one Marburg event were in quick succession and placed the Ministry of Health and the Uganda Red Cross (URCS) as well as other partners under significant pressure to respond to one of the world’s deadliest diseases in three separate locations.
The objectives of the evaluation included: 1. Review current operating procedures of URCS’ epidemic response including the roles and responsibilities of URCS in relation to MoH, WHO and other partners as well as internal structures for coordination and integrations of activities across departments. 2. Review the operational effectiveness and accountability of the response against planned outcomes and the use of DREF funds against proposed activities 3. Evaluate the response of URCS to epidemics, against the needs of beneficiaries and communities focused on the areas of most ‘added value’ of the URCS;