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Policy document
Uganda Covid-19 Preparedness and Response Plan, March 2020
This sets out the Government of Uganda’s overarching strategy and early response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including stengthening leadership and coordination, strengthening diagnostic capacity, raising public awareness, developing capacity for case management and psychosocial support, and strengthening social protection mechanisms.
Research paper
Experiences of the one-health approach by the Uganda Trypanosomiasis Control Council and its secretariat in the control of zoonotic sleeping sickness in Uganda
Elimination of sleeping sickness from endemic countries like Uganda is key if the affected communities are to exploit the potential of the available human and livestock resources (production and productivity). Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, the parasite that causes acute sleeping sickness…
Research paper
Challenges to Ebola preparedness during an ongoing outbreak: An analysis of borderland livelihoods and trust in Uganda
Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was declared a public health emergency of international concern on July 17, 2019. The first case to cross the border into Uganda in June 2019 demonstrates the importance of better…
Research paper
COVID-19, Public Authority and Enforcement
The securitization of health is not a new phenomenon. However, global responses to the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa reveal the extent to which epidemic preparedness and response is now shaped by geopolitical concerns. This commentary describes how enforcement…
Research paper
Pandemics and soft power: HIV/AIDS and Uganda on the global stage
The COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 threatened years of effort by the Chinese authorities to extend its influence around the world. As with COVID-19, HIV/AIDS presented a fundamental threat not only to countries’ internal social stability and population health, but also…
Blog
Why is there Need for Long-Term Investment in the Uganda Virus Research Institute, The Home of Zika?
In this post, the authors offer a grounded account of Zika virus, one in which its discovery is an entry point into a broader history of the UVRI and the people who worked there. In doing so, they combine autobiographical…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Research paper
Analyses of the performance of the Ebola virus disease alert management system in South Sudan: August 2018 to November 2019
This research paper analysed the performance of the Ebola alert management system, established in response to the Ebola outbreak in DRC in August 2018. EVD alerts reported in South Sudan in 2018-19 were anlaysed using quantitative and qualitative data. Strengths…
Background report
Economic Policy during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Sudan
This Weekly Review, from October 23, 2020, analyses the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Sudan, and specifically focuses on production, the performance of the commodity and foreign exchange markets, and resultant government policy interventions. It concludes by…
Background report
The Nature and Magnitude of the COVID-19 Outbreak in South Sudan [May 2020]
This 2020 Policy Brief examines data on COVID-19 infections in South Sudan. It shows that COVID-19 preventive measures instituted in March were ineffective, that the effect of the virus varied by both age and sex of patients and that elderly…
Background report
The COVID-19 Pandemic Vulnerability Factors in South Sudan
This analysis identifies and discusses the COVID-19 vulnerability factors in South Sudan, including the country’s reliance on humanitarian assistance and imports, economic reliance on oil, weak healthcare system, population density, informal settlements, natural disasters, poverty and illiteracy, and a fragile…
Blog
Multimedia
Angaza COVID-19 Series : Quand La Communication Renforce Le Déni En République Démocratique Du Congo fr
Le Covid-19 est une maladie dangereuse. Mais la communication au sujet du Covid-19 peut être plus dangereuse si elle n’est pas cohérente. Une communication peut provoquer une multitude de réactions et créer un impact négatif/positif sur l’acceptation de la maladie…
Blog
Multimedia
Angaza COVID-19 Series : Les Masques – Un Danger fr
Pour lutter contre la pandémie de Covid-19, le port de masques a été vivement recommandé, pendant des sorties en public, pour réduire la chaîne de contamination. Des populations sous informées sur l’usage responsable des masques s’exposent et exposent leur environnement…
Research paper
Prevention of COVID-19 in Internally Displaced Persons Camps in War-Torn North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Mixed-Methods Study
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic poses a grave threat to refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). This paper examined knowledge, attitudes, and practices with respect to COVID-19 prevention among IDPs in war-torn Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Blog
Multimedia
Angaza COVID-19 Series : Mimétisme Occidentalo-Centré De La Riposte Contre La COVID-19 Au Sud Kivu, RDC fr
Portant sur le mimétisme occidentalo-centré et ses implications sur les politiques provinciales de la riposte contre la COVID 19 en Milieu rural au Sud Kivu, RDC, cette analyse s’inspire du modèle centre et périphéries, selon lequel, il existe un centre…
Blog
Multimedia
Angaza Covid-19 Series : Mesures Coercitives & Engagement Collectif Contre La COVID-19 fr
Pour barrer la route à la Covid-19, des mesures drastiques ont été prises par les autorités publiques de la RDC et du Sud-Kivu en particulier. Cependant malgré ces mesures et l’expansion de la pandémie, la grande majorité de la population…
Blog
Multimedia
Angaza COVID-19 Series : Penser La Riposte Sur Les Leçons Apprises Du Passé fr
La République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) a une longue expérience de gestion des épidémies. Plusieurs recherches indiquent que les approches de contrôles de l’épidémie Ebola et la pandémie de Covid-19 sont presque les mêmes. Récemment, l’expérience acquise dans la lutte…
Blog
Covid-19 : De La Crise De Communication Au Déni De La Crise En République Démocratique Du Congo fr
Le covid-19 est une maladie dangereuse. Mais la communication au sujet du covid-19 peut être plus dangereuse si elle n’est pas cohérente. D’une part, une communication dramatique peut inutilement entraîner ou aggraver la psychose et un stress généralisé. D’autre part,…
Research paper
Prevention of COVID-19 in Internally Displaced Persons Camps in War-Torn North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Mixed-Methods Study
Congolese internally displaced persons (IDPs) had high awareness and fear of COVID-19, but low specific knowledge. IDPs face major barriers to implementing COVID-19 prevention measures: crowded shelters, frequent movements in and out of the camp for work, and lack of…
Briefing
Food distribution and corona-politics in Uganda: the view from Kampala
Ahead of presidential, parliamentary and local elections planned for 2021, urban food relief distribution in Uganda became politicised as people struggled under COVID-19 lockdown measures. As narratives of ‘liberation’ resurfaced amid the government’s health response, the securitisation of corona-politics further…
Research paper
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: why there is no ‘silver bullet’
Following the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which started in August 2018, there were a number of extraordinary firsts and successes. But why, despite these, was the outbreak still ongoing after 20 months? This…
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.
Report
A Study of Socio-Cultural Practices and COVID-19 Preventive Measures in South Sudan
The study principally investigates whether the socio-cultural practices of South Sudanese influence their responses to COVID-19 measures that the Government of South Sudan has adopted to stop the spread of the virus. Its findings record the ways in which they…
Briefing
A rapid qualitative study on preparedness and community perceptions, Yei River State, South Sudan
This research was commissioned by the EVD Preparedness Consortium comprising Save the Children, Concern Worldwide and Internews in South Sudan. It provides information on community perceptions about the Ebola outbreak and preparedness activities in Yei River State. The study was…
Research paper
COVID-19 Public Health Restrictions and Older Adults’ Well-being in Uganda: Psychological Impacts and Coping Mechanisms
In Uganda, as in most LMICs, older adults (aged 60+) are amongst the poorest members of society, mostly relying on their children for food and income. Healthcare services can be difficult to access for everyone, causing inequalities, with mental healthcare…
Research paper
‘When I die, let me be the last.’ Community health worker perspectives on past Ebola and Marburg outbreaks in Uganda
This paper describes findings from interviews with health workers from three outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg virus disease.
Article
In Congo, a ‘militarised’ Ebola response has fuelled community resistance
A report from The New Humanitarian reflects on how a militarised response to the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu province in 2019 caused fear and impacted people’s trust in the response, with implications for their engagement with preventative measures.
Research paper
Social resistance drives persistent transmission of Ebola virus disease in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: A mixed-methods study
The second largest Ebola (EVD) epidemic in history is currently raging in Eastern DRC. Stubbornly persistent EVD transmission has been associated with social resistance, ranging from passive non-compliance to overt acts of aggression toward EVD reponse teams. We explored community…
Research paper
Institutional trust and misinformation in the response to the 2018–19 Ebola outbreak in North Kivu, DR Congo: a population-based survey
The current outbreak of Ebola in eastern DR Congo, beginning in 2018, emerged in a complex and violent political and security environment. Community-level prevention and outbreak control measures appear to be dependent on public trust in relevant authorities and information,…
Research paper
Borders areas should be used, not feared, in pandemic responses
This article in African Arguments explores how Uganda’s pandemic experience shows how communities near borders come up with effective strategies for disease control, while resisting disruptive state ones.
Briefing
Cross-Border Dynamics and Healthcare in West Nile, Uganda
Against the backdrop of on-going preparedness work in Uganda as related to the outbreak of Ebola in DRC, this brief summarises key considerations concerning cross-border dynamics and health structures and behaviours in the West Nile sub-region of north-west Uganda. It…
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…
