Epidemic preparedness and response

The social and political dimensions of disease epidemics, preparedness and response.

Blog

The many faces of the COVID-19 mask in Eastern DRC

The introduction of the mask during the COVID-19 outbreak changed daily life in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and took many faces. From state repression in the city of Goma, to fear of the unknown in rural areas, the mask…
Central and East Africa Hub
2021
Blog

Flattening the curve of Uganda’s coronavirus

The logic of flattening the curve should be treated differently where there are few health services to be overwhelmed, and people need to work in the day to eat at night. This blog post describes how lockdown in Uganda deserves…
Central and East Africa Hub
London School of Economics
2020
Blog

Do COVID-19 conspiracy theories challenge public health delivery?

The Ugandan government’s severe response to Covid-19 has encouraged endless debate over the virus’ origins, in the face of unclear global explanations. Conspiracy theories and rumours proliferate, especially in regions with no recorded infections. This blog post explores how local…
Central and East Africa Hub
London School of Economics
2020
Blog

In Uganda memories of Ebola spur resistance to COVID-19 public health efforts

Responses to COVID-19 vary across Uganda, with northern regions seeing resistance to public health efforts to enforce quarantine. For some communities the location of isolation and treatment centres, in particular, has caused public outrage, reviving memories of the 2000 Ebola…
Central and East Africa Hub
London School of Economics
2020
Blog

How do we measure the effectiveness of lockdown in Uganda against COVID-19?

In regions where state health systems are weak and premature death is common, it is possible for COVID-19 to have swept many parts of the world unnoticed, without the virus’ mass global awareness. This blog post reports from Uganda on…
Central and East Africa Hub
London School of Economics
2020
Blog

Dispelling COVID-19 rumours at local levels in Pakwach, Uganda

Rumours can have significant consequences for how local communities engage their health systems, posing problems for epidemic containment which can rely on trust in state actors. This blog post examines rumours associated with COVID-19 in the Pakwach district of Uganda,…
Central and East Africa Hub
London School of Economics
2020
Blog

Humanitarian diagnostics for sleeping sickness in Uganda

A key impetus for the invention of a Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) for sleeping sickness (also known as human African trypanosomiasis or HAT) was the persuasive advocacy for better ‘field ready tools’ by medical humanitarian agencies such as Médecins Sans…
Central and East Africa Hub
Somatosphere
2018
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