Question Bank
Tools
Cholera question bank
These resources are intended to support operational social science research to be used in cholera preparedness and response activities.
Epidemic preparedness and response
The social and political dimensions of disease epidemics, preparedness and response.
Briefing
Socio-behavioural insight for community-centred cholera preparedness and response In Mozambique, 2023
This brief explores socio-behavioural determinants including local knowledge, perceptions, practices, and structural factors influencing cholera transmission dynamics. The brief has been developed to support response actors develop prevention and control strategies to rapidly contain the outbreak and prepare for a…
Policy document
Strategic Response Plan For The Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak In The Provinces Of North Kivu And Ituri Democratic Republic Of The Congo July – December 2019
This document sets out the Ministry of Health’s strategic response to the Ebola Virus outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in 2019. Taking into account the impact of insecurity in these regions, the plan details how the government planned…
Policy document
National Action Plan for Health Security, Republic of South Sudan
This National Action Plan for Health Security from the Republic of South Sudan details the country’s health security strategy for 2020-2024 including annual reporting, after action reviews, joint external evaluations, simulation exercises and other assessments, within a One Health framework.
Policy document
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Preparedness and Readiness Update for South Sudan
This Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Preparedness and Readiness Update from late 2022 was jointly presented by the Ministry of Health of South Sudan, and the WHO and details EVD alerts, and emergency preparedness activities in the country in response to…
Policy document
Monthly Humanitarian Situation Report South Sudan
This Situation Report from the WHO on South Sudan offers an overview of the humanitarian situation in January 2023, including the state of measles transmission and vaccination response, Covid-19 vaccination, cholera and the distribution of health emergency kits.
Research paper
Treatment-seeking and uptake of malaria prevention strategies among pregnant women and caregivers of children under-five years during COVID-19 pandemic in rural communities in South West Uganda: a qualitative study
Despite efforts to avert the negative effects of malaria, there remain barriers to the uptake of prevention measures, hindering its eradication. This qualitative case study explored factors influencing uptake of malaria prevention strategies among pregnant women and children under-five years…
Research paper
Vaccine anxieties, vaccine preparedness: Perspectives from Africa in a Covid-19 era
Global debates about vaccines in the era of Covid-19 currently focus on questions of supply, with attention to unjust global distribution. At the same time, vaccine demand and uptake are seen to be threatened by hesitancy, often attributed to a…
Research paper
‘Writing budgets for meetings and teas?’: a multitheoretical analysis of intragovernmental coordination for multisectoral action for health in Uganda
Coordination across policy domains and government agencies is considered critical for addressing complex challenges such as inequities, urbanisation and climate change. However, the factors influencing coordination among government entities in low-income and middle-income countries are not well known and theory-based…
Research paper
Clinical trials as disease control? The political economy of sleeping sickness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1996-2016)
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), commonly known as sleeping sickness, is closer than ever to being eliminated as a public health problem. We analyse archives and in-depth interviews to explore the role the national HAT programme played in the Democratic Republic…
Research paper
A Situation Assessment of Community Health Workers’ Preparedness in Supporting Health System Response to COVID-19 in Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda
This paper reports a mixed methods study to assess the preparedness of Community Health Workers (CHWs) in supporting health system response in prevention and management of COVID-19 in Kenya, Senegal, and Uganda. Interviews were conducted with policy actors, health care…
Research paper
‘Where are the dead flies!’: perceptions of local communities towards the deployment of Tiny Targets to control tsetse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The National Programme for the control of human African trypanosomiasis in Democratic Republic of Congo includes a large-scale vector control operation using Tiny Targets. These are small panels of insecticide-impregnated cloth that are deployed in riverine habitat where tsetse flies…
Research paper
Cash, COVID-19 and aid cuts: a mixed-method impact evaluation among South Sudanese refugees registered in Kiryandongo settlement, Uganda
In this paper, we estimate the impact after 4–8 months of a large one-off unconditional cash transfer delivered to refugees in Kiryandongo settlement, Uganda during a time of dual shocks: the COVID-19 pandemic and cuts to monthly aid. We focus on…
Research paper
Health system resilience during COVID-19 understanding SRH service adaptation in North Kivu
There is often collateral damage to health systems during epidemics, affecting women and girls the most, with reduced access to non-outbreak related services, particularly in humanitarian settings. This rapid case study examines sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in the…
Research paper
Operational challenges and considerations for COVID-19 research in humanitarian settings: A qualitative study of a project in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan
We conducted a qualitative study to explore the barriers and enablers of a COVID-19 cohort study conducted in South Sudan and Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, to inform future research on COVID-19 and infectious diseases in humanitarian settings. We…
Research paper
Effect of COVID-19 on older adults 50 years and above living with HIV in a less-developed country
In Uganda, as soon as the first case of COVID-19 was identified, strict lockdown measures were enforced, including a ban on all public and private transport, night curfew, closure of schools, and suspension of religious and social gatherings and closure…
Research paper
Perceptions of ebola virus disease among the bambuti hunter group: a mixed-methods study
The second largest Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic occurred in the DRC from 2018–20. The Bambuti, a hunter population in the Ituri Forest of the DRC, may be vulnerable to the zoonotic spread of EVD due to their frequent handling…
Research paper
Private sector engagement in the COVID-19 response: experiences and lessons from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda
Private entities play a major role in health globally. However, their contribution has not been fully optimized to strengthen delivery of public health services. The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health systems and precipitated coalitions between public and private sectors to…
Research paper
Not for us, without us: examining horizontal coordination between the Ministry of Health and other sectors to advance health goals in Uganda
Little is known about the coordination relationship between Ministries of Health and other sectors to advance health and development goals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our study examined the coordination relationship between MoH and other government ministries, departments and…
Research paper
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) in the Republic of Congo: why the Congolese population is reluctant to screening?
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a neglected tropical infection, and surveillance of the disease relies on community participation in screening. This study aimed to identify the main factors associated with low community uptake of HAT screening in endemic districts in…
Research paper
A Qualitative Evaluation of COVID-19 Preventative Response Activities in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
In this evaluation of COVID-19 preventative response programs in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), we aimed to explore community understandings of COVID-19, assess operational successes and challenges of COVID response activities, and identify barriers to practicing COVID-19…
Research paper
Engaging faith communities in public health messaging in response to COVID-19: Lessons learnt from the pandemic in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo
This qualitative participatory research (using a workshop methodology) sought to understand challenges faced by faith leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (Ituri and Nord-Kivu) in engaging with current public health strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic; to explain why…
Research paper
Evaluation of public health surveillance systems in refugee settlements in Uganda, 2016-2019: lessons learned
Civil wars in the Great Lakes region resulted in massive displacement of people to neighboring countries including Uganda. With associated disease epidemics related to this conflict, a disease surveillance system was established aiming for timely detection of diseases and rapid…
Research paper
Using Population Mobility Patterns to Adapt COVID-19 Response Strategies in 3 East Africa Countries
The COVID-19 pandemic spread between neighboring countries through land, water, and air travel. Since May 2020, ministries of health for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda have sought to clarify population movement patterns to improve their disease…
Research paper
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare access and utilisation in South Sudan: a cross-sectional mixed methods study
Indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities in fragile and conflict-affected settings may be severe due to reduced access and use of healthcare, as happened during the 2015 Ebola Virus Disease outbreak. Achieving a balance between short-term emergency response…
Research paper
Data flows during public health emergencies in LMICs: A people-centered mapping of data flows during the 2018 ebola epidemic in Equateur, DRC
In infectious outbreaks, rapid case detection and reporting, coordination, and context-specific strategies are needed for rapid containment. Data sharing between actors, and the speed and content of data flows, is essential for expediting epidemic response. In this study, researchers mapped…
Research paper
Communities’ Perception, Knowledge, and Practices Related to Human African Trypanosomiasis in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Community members see their role more in terms of vector control than participation in screening, referral, or accepting treatment. We propose recommendations for achieving sustainable community engagement, including development of an information and communication strategy and empowerment of communities to…
Research paper
Conflict, epidemic and faith communities: church-state relations during the fight against Covid-19 in north-eastern DR Congo.
The present article seeks to go beyond such oft-documented instrumentalization of churches for public health purposes. It discusses a more fundamental and general dynamic: the relationship between religious denominations, the State, and health authorities in a fragile context marked by…
Research paper
Determining the acceptability of a novel One Health vaccine for Rift Valley Fever prior to phase II/III clinical trials in Uganda
Several vaccine candidates for Rift Valley Fever (RVF) are in development for use in humans. A promising candidate, ChAdOx1 RVF vaccine, has been developed for use in both humans and animals, and has undergone field trials in livestock in Kenya.…
Research paper
COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among health workers in rural Uganda: A mixed methods study
COVID-19 vaccination is the latest preventive intervention strategy in an attempt to control the global pandemic. Its efficacy has come under scrutiny because of break through infections among the vaccinated and need for booster doses. Besides, although health workers were…
Research paper
Exploring the effects of COVID-19 on family planning: results from a qualitative study in rural Uganda following COVID-19 lockdown
The COVID-19 pandemic has likely affected the already high unmet need for family planning in low- and middle-income countries. This qualitative study used Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Service Use as a theoretical framework to explore the possible ways in…
Research paper
Intensified inequities: Young people’s experiences of Covid-19 and school closures in Uganda.
Uganda had the longest period of school closures worldwide as a response measure during the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing on longitudinal qualitative data from the Contexts of Violence in Adolescence Cohort Study (CoVAC) (2018–2023), we examine how this has affected the…
Research paper
Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study from a Cohort of HIV Clients in Uganda.
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the food security of people in low-income countries. This is important for people living with HIV (PLWH) because HIV medication should be taken with food to avoid side-effects. We used survey data (n = 314) and qualitative interviews…
Research paper
Motorcycle Taxis, Extended Lockdown and Inequality at Work in Kampala, Uganda
In this article, we draw on in-depth qualitative data from interviews with riders, carried out at different stages of the pandemic, to show how the composition of labour within the sector has been reworked by a series of ‘selective exits’…
Research paper
All I was Thinking About was Shattered: Women’s Experiences Transitioning Out of Anti-Trafficking Shelters During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Uganda
The long-term harms to survivors’ physical, psychological and social wellbeing are profound and well documented, and yet there are few studies exploring how to best promote resilience and holistic healing. This is especially true within shelter programs (where the majority…
