Considerations from previous outbreaks of Ebola, Cholera, Rift Valley Fever, Influenza and SARS.
This collection collates reports, case studies and tools from the ‘Social Science in Epidemics’ series. In this series, different aspects of past disease outbreaks are reviewed in order to identify social science ‘entry points’ for emergency interventions and preparedness activities.
The case studies compile successful examples of integration of social science knowledge into operational responses.
The collection also includes a series of tools that enable social scientists and practitioners to identify key considerations from a social science perspective when designing or implementing epidemic response activities in a particular context.
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Case Studies
Enhancing Community Engagement Through Data Collection: Controlling the Cholera Epidemic in Mozambique
Case study focusing on post-cyclone cholera response activities

Tools
Social Science Research for Vaccine Deployment in Epidemic Outbreaks
Why is social science vital for effective vaccine trials?

Tools
Rapid Appraisal of Key Health-Seeking Behaviours in Epidemics
How to identify health-seeking behaviours
![On 10 April 2020, Turusew Getahun, a social worker, works to identify, profile and register unaccompanied children and youths at the Civil Service University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The centre is being used to quarantine returnees to the country, amidst concerns about the spread of COVID-19. Many of the returnees had sought work in Saudi Arabia, were victims of human trafficking along the way, and were subject to captivity and deportation upon reaching Saudi Arabia.
All unaccompanied minors are classified as vulnerable migrants, which is the social workers, in addition to profiling and registering them, identify their needs, look for signs of abuse requiring follow-up services, and obtain information about their families. The latter information is important for initiating a detailed assessment, family tracing, and reunification. In cases where a reunification with the family is not possible, alternative care arrangements are explored in cooperation with social workers or community service workers in their places of origin. Turusew says she looks forward to reuniting the children with their families when the quarantine is over. In the meantime, she wants them to be protected from COVID-19 during their quarantine. “Although information [about COVID-19] is being given to all returnees, children require specific support and child-focused messaging to help them understand how to protect themselves from the virus,” she says.
As of 14 April 2020, Ethiopia has reported 82 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country, with 3 deaths. In recent weeks the country has seen a surge of returnees to the country, due to the global situation. All returnees are now being placed in a mandatory 14-day quarantine. The sudden surge in returnees is straining local capacities, especially the health system. Some 2,780 returnees have been registered and quarantined at various centers the government has set up in Addis Ababa. An additional 300 returnees per day are expected in the comi UNICEF/Tesfaye](https://www.socialscienceinaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/UNI320537_Nahom-tesfaye-400x200.jpg)
Tools
Rapid Anthropological Assessments in the Field
Exploring data collection methods and question modules
![On 5 November, in the initial phases of U-Report's launch in Liberia, two adolescent girls who have been raising awareness of the technology among other youths record on paper the mobile numbers of new users, in the West Point neighbourhood of Monrovia, the capital. They used the traditional route of gathering new user data during a system outage. Part of the rollout process included identifying lingering glitches in the system. The adolescents are UNICEF-supported social mobilizers from the group Adolescents Leading an Intensive Fight against Ebola (A-LIFE); they underwent UNICEF training on U-Report and on how to use the technology to track data on EVD as well as on sexual health and teen pregnancy.
In November 2014, Liberia remains one of three countries in West Africa experiencing widespread and intense transmission of Ebola virus disease (EVD). UNICEF continues to support social mobilization efforts to raise awareness of the disease, its symptoms and how to prevent its spread all of which are critical to curtailing the unprecedented outbreak. U-Report, a text-based communication platform previously developed by UNICEF, was customized and deployed for use within Liberias mobilization efforts. Using Short Message Service (SMS), U-Report allows individual subscribers to ask questions about issues, to get real-time answers and to share information with other users U-reporters across the country. By giving people a new and effective platform for communication, it is intended to strengthen community-led development, citizen engagement and behavioural change. [Note, this story captions applies to all images below.] UNICEF/Jallonzo](https://www.socialscienceinaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/UNI174451_Med-Res-400x200.jpg)
Tools
Rapid Remote Context Analysis Tool (RR-CAT) in Epidemics
Methodologies for use during remote context analysis

Case Studies
Real-Time Ebola Community Feedback Mechanism
Case study examining misinformation and mistrust in the Ebola epidemic

Case Studies
Understanding Sociocultural Dynamics to Enhance Control of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) Epidemics in Kenya
Case study addressing the issue of food shortage and economic losses

Case Studies
Balancing Burial Rituals with Public Health Demands During the 2014 Guinean Ebola Epidemic
Case study addressing resistance to Ebola response measures

Case Studies
Learning the Lessons of Crisis: Mobilising Knowledge During a Global Health Emergency
Case study addressing issues around knowledge sharing, focusing on the example of Ebola

Case Studies
Rift Valley Fever: Local Knowledge, Health-Seeking Behaviours and Attitudes Towards Vaccination in Southern Uganda
Case study addressing the challenge of vaccine uptake and regulating the unknown

Case Studies
Building a Community Health Worker Programme During the Ebola Outbreak in Sierra Leone
Case study looking into the challenge of a lack of trust and referrals to biomedical health care

Case Studies
Participation with a Cholera-Exposed Population in Haiti: Finding their Own Solutions
Case study looking at the challenge of cholera in Haiti

Case Studies
Beyond the Biomedical: Ebola Response and Recovery Through a Psychosocial Lens
Humanitarian responders must look beyond the biomedical lens to ensure successful interventions across global health programmes

Case Studies
People, Poultry and Pandemics: Risk Communication and Community Engagement in Indonesia
This SSHAP Case Study illustrates how the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) worked in 2006-07 to support the Indonesian government in response to avian influenza outbreaks. The agency provided social mobilisation and education programmes to schools and villages in affected…

Tools
Assessing Key Considerations for Burial Practices, Death and Mourning in Epidemics
Highlighting key considerations for rapidly appraising burial/funerary practices and beliefs around death/dying during an epidemic.

Tools
Taking a Psychosocial Approach to Epidemic Response
This Practical Approaches brief highlights key considerations for taking a psychosocial approach to working in the context of an epidemic. Public health emergencies can cultivate fear, anger and grief, and deeply impact the wider social fabric. Exposure to disease is…

Evidence Reviews
Rift Valley Fever
Summary and background reports offering recommendations on risk communication and local frameworks among other topics.

Evidence Reviews
Influenza and SARS
Summary and background reports exploring transmission, surveillance and other aspects of outbreaks.

Evidence Reviews
Ebola
Summary and background reports offering recommendations on local customs, health care systems and other topics.

Evidence Reviews