Evidence review
Rapid Evidence Review: School-Based Transmission of Orthoebolaviruses
This rapid review sought to identify published evidence reporting transmission of human pathogenic strains of orthoebolavirus in school-based settings.
Health, wellbeing and care
Understandings and experiences of health and wellbeing, care seeking and provision.
Report
MHRN Roundtable Report: Social and Behavioural Science Priorities for Ebola Clinical Trials in DRC
This August 2026 roundtable consolidated lessons from past SBS research in/on Ebola clinical trials and discussed current challenges with clinical trial design and rollout.
Article
Contextual note: Funeral practices in Ituri
This note is the second produced by "the collective for Ituri", an informal network primarily driven by social scientists who provide contextual information for the response to the Bundibugyo Ebola epidemic in Ituri, eastern DRC. This note expands on the…
Briefing
Recommendations: Rapid Synthesis of Social and Behavioural Science learnings on Ebola for the Bundibugyo Virus Outbreak (2026) Ituri, DRC
A rapid synthesis of lessons learned from prior Ebola social and behavioural science (SBS) research to highlight critical insights for locally adapted and contextually informed response efforts.
Briefing
Ituri Ebola Outbreak 2026 (DRC) – Summary overview of context
This note details relevant contextual factors in Ituri Province, DRC, to inform the response to the outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus.
Briefing
Key considerations: the context of North Kivu province, DRC
This brief summarises key considerations about the context of North Kivu province in relation to the outbreak of Ebola in the DRC, August 2018.
blog
Members of SSHAP participated in the State-of-the-art Symposium in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, in December 2025. This blog shares insights from the Symposium; considers the important of social and behavioural science and the existing evidence gaps; and lessons for global health security.
Case study
SSHAP learning note: Building a localised approach
This learning note shares insights, experiences and lessons from SSHAP's approach to the localisation of its operational responses in sub-Saharan Africa.
Evidence review
Rapid evidence synthesis: Mpox community protection
This note presents a rapid synthesis of evidence related to community protection in countries affected by the mpox clade 1b outbreak. Synthesising evidence related to community protection for mpox Medline, Africa Journals Online and Global Index Medicus were searched. IFRC,…
Briefing
Key considerations: Home-based care for mpox in Central and East Africa
This brief outlines key considerations on health system requirements for safe and inclusive home-based care for mpox.
Question Bank
Tools
Questions bank for healthcare workers during infectious disease outbreaks
This question bank is a menu of qualitative questions related to healthcare workers’ knowledge, perceptions and practices during infectious disease outbreaks.
Briefing
Mpox response in urban informal settlements
This brief highlights key issues and good practices that can be carried into the design and delivery of mpox response activities in urban informal settlements.
Briefing
Introducing experimental vaccines during health emergencies
This brief provides an overview of the experimental stages of vaccine development during a disease outbreak and highlights key considerations at each stage from a social science perspective.
Briefing
Mpox in the Busia-Malaba border region linking Uganda and Kenya
This brief summarises how mpox is perceived and managed in the Busia-Malaba border region that links eastern Uganda and western Kenya.
blog
Humanitarian crises are growing in complexity and impact. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs nearly 300 million people globally needed humanitarian assistance and protection in 2024. In a world plagued by natural disasters, violent conflict, and public health emergencies, humanitarian service delivery is critical.
blog
Among the countries worst affected from the sudden and wide-ranging US aid cuts is South Sudan. South Sudan relies on international assistance to provide basic services to its people. Cuts will devastate its healthcare system, including its ability to prepare for and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.
Factsheet
Remote response to Ebola outbreak in DRC
The Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform is supporting UNICEF, WHO, IFRC and other partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo to respond to the Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province. The Platform has four key streams of action: 1) Rapid…
blog
As mpox continues to spread within the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries, concern is growing over how best to respond to this second mpox Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Research in Nigeria during the first PHEIC points to the importance of involving affected community perspectives.
Briefing
Cross-border dynamics between Burundi and Tanzania in the context of viral haemorrhagic fever outbreaks, 2025
This brief summarises key considerations regarding cross-border dynamics between Burundi and Tanzania in the context of viral haemorrhagic fever (VHF) outbreaks in Tanzania and Uganda.
Briefing
Using social and behavioural science to inform the use of vaccines during health emergencies
This brief synthesises social and behavioural science research on the use of vaccines during health emergencies in sub-Saharan Africa, including experimental vaccines undergoing clinical trials.
Research paper
Diagnosis, treatment, and management of mpox in urban informal settlements in southwestern Nigeria: an ethnographic approach
This paper, based on an ethnographic study in southwestern Nigeria, seeks to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of not only the health care access barriers, but the complex geographical, economic, and sociocultural factors that shape how and when people…
Research paper
Mpox and the men who have sex with men (MSM) community in Nigeria: Exploratory insights from MSM and persons providing healthcare services to them
This paper explores mpox awareness, knowledge, and experiences among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Lagos, Nigeria, to provides insights to improve Nigeria's mpox response and inform similar public health efforts in Africa where MSM criminalisation complicates MSM…
Question Bank
Tools
Viral haemorrhagic fevers question bank
This Question Bank is relevant to outbreaks where person-to-person transmission has been identified as significant to an outbreak's spread and where patient experiences must be understood for a community-centred response.
Briefing
Post-trauma impacts in conflict-affected communities in northern Nigeria
This Key Considerations brief compares the biomedical framing of post-traumatic stress disorder with the social science understanding of the drivers of and possible solutions for mental health impacts of trauma.
Briefing
Addressing the kush epidemic in Sierra Leone
This Key Considerations brief contextualises and provides insight into an epidemic which is symptomatic of deeper, long-standing issues which require sustained and comprehensive solutions beyond immediate emergency measures.
Briefing
Female genital mutilation among Sudanese displaced populations in Egypt
A Key Considerations brief considering the drivers and dynamics of FGM practices in the context of forced displacement to inform culturally sensitive strategies for FGM prevention and response.
Briefing
Addressing the humanitarian needs of forced rural-to-city migrants in north-west Nigeria with a focus on mental health vulnerability
This Fellows Brief calls for action to address the needs of a hitherto underserved, internally displaced people.
Report
Meeting report: Mpox and discrimination in African settings
This report summarises contributions from speakers and participants at a Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP)-organised online meeting to discuss mpox and discrimination issues in African settings, and operational responses to mpox that are contextually sensitive.
Briefing
LGBTQIA+-inclusive humanitarian action in the Philippines
This brief examines the social, economic and legal landscape for LGBTQIA+ groups in the Philippines, exploring their specific capacities and vulnerabilities during crises and offering practical guidance.
Question Bank
Tools
Mpox question bank: Qualitative questions for community-level data collection
A Question Bank for use by field teams and local research teams working in communities with mpox transmission and those at risk of transmission with the aim of supporting the collection and use of consistent and high-quality social and behavioural…
blog
Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) is a critical component of cholera outbreak response. Sharing insights, strategies, and best practices for RCCE from national and regional efforts to combat cholera can enable actors to co-create solutions to common challenges and help pave the way towards stronger and more empowered communities.
blog
Equipping people working in community engagement and communications during humanitarian crises with the knowledge to use social science research can enable them to generate robust, rigorous and context-relevant socio-behavioural evidence to inform interventions and policymaking. Ginger Johnson highlights the important work of Collective Service partners to support governmental and non-governmental…
Briefing
Mpox, mining, and vulnerabilities of women and children in eastern DRC
This Key Considerations brief presents considerations for contextualising and responding to the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, focusing on women and children living and working in artisanal and small-scale mining areas.
blog
The Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP) supported the Enugu State Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Enugu State Ministry of Health to strengthen their qualitative research capacity to improve preparedness for disease outbreak. This blog shares learning from the process.
