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Briefing
Rwanda – DRC cross border dynamics fr
This Key Considerations brief concerns cross-border dynamics between Rwanda and DRC, including cross-border relations and political and economic dynamics.
Briefing
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,…
Briefing
An Epidemic of Suspicion — Ebola and Violence in the DRC
Until the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, Ebola outbreaks had been sporadic, small, and largely confined to isolated rural villages in Central Africa. But the 2014 epidemic broke all the rules and killed more than 15,000 people; since then,…
Briefing
Behavioural Data Compilation #2 fr
A rapid compilation of data analyses for November 2018-February 2019 in the context of the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
Briefing
Community Responses to the Ebola Response: Beni, North Kivu
Since July 2013, a series of massacres have occurred in the Beni territory of North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo, an area heavily affected by the current Ebola outbreak. More than 1,000 civilians have been killed and tens of…
Briefing
Social Science in Epidemics: Ebola Epidemics Lessons Learned (Evidence Summary)
In this ‘Social Science in Epidemics’ series, different aspects of past disease outbreaks are reviewed in order to identify social science ‘entry points’ for preparedness and response activities. This brief draws out some recommendations for Ebola response actors in North…
Briefing
Technologies of Trust in Epidemic Response: Openness, Reflexivity and Accountability During the 2014–2016 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
Trust is an essential component of successful cooperative endeavours. The global health response to the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak confronted historically tenuous regional relationships of trust. Challenging sociopolitical contexts and initially inappropriate communication strategies impeded trustworthy relationships between communities…
Evidence review
Bringing Community Perspectives to Decision-Making in the Ebola Response in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Ebola provokes fear in communities due to the severity of the symptoms, misunderstanding of the causes, the high number of deaths and control measures that are often perceived as intrusive and interfering with local social, cultural and religious practices. Misinformation,…
Television and Ebola
Circulating around the globe during the 2014-15 Ebola outbreak in West Africa were bold and sensationalistic headlines such as “Killer Virus”, “Ebola Here!” and “Burn dead bodies.” Along with such stark and shocking headlines were images of health providers sealed (concealed) within…
Briefing
World Health Organization Weekly Epidemiological Record: Special Edition on Ebola
Although social scientists have long worked in public health emergencies, the value of including social science intelligence in response strategies became highly visible during the epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa in 2014–2016. The key application of social science is to…
Briefing
The Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia: Improving Community Awareness for Disease Surveillance
At the time of the 2014–2015 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak, Liberia was still recovering from years of civil war and unrest. The country’s infrastructure was very poor, especially in rural regions, where people could not easily travel because of the lack of adequate roads. Liberia’s health…
Briefing
Uganda-DRC Cross-Border Dynamics
This brief summarises key considerations concerning cross-border dynamics between Uganda and DRC, including surveillance and community engagement.
Background report
Evidence review
Social science in epidemics: Ebola virus disease lessons learned fr
Summary and background reports offering recommendations on local customs, health care systems and other topics.
Briefing
Behavioural Data Compilation #1 fr
A rapid compilation of data analyses for November 2018 in the context of the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
Briefing
Ebola Preparedness and Traditional Healers in South Sudan
This review focuses on the evidence on Ebola preparedness in South Sudan through an anthropological lens, looking at informal and traditional health care systems. It presents the evidence on how these can be utilised for surveillance, behaviour change communication, and…
Briefing
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, North Kivu, DRC fr
Key considerations including recommendations to strengthen the mental health and psychosocial response.
Briefing
Risk Communication and Community Engagement Preparedness and Readiness Framework: Ebola Response in the Democratic Republic of Congo in North Kivu
Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) is an essential part of any disease outbreak response. Risk communication in the context of an Ebola outbreak refers to real time exchange of information, opinion and advice between frontline responders and people who are faced with the threat of Ebola…
Briefing
WhatsApp and Local Media (Grand Nord)
An overview of key messages circulating on WhatsApp and the local media (radio, print and video) in North Kivu in September 2018.
Briefing
Changing Behaviours & Care-Seeking Practices in the Grand Nord, North Kivu, DRC fr
Key considerations and immediate recommendations related to community engagement.
Tools
Local burial and mourning practices: open-ended questions
Questionnaires for rapid quantitative surveys and qualitative appraisals of burial and funeral practices in the context of an Ebola outbreak.
Briefing
The Context of North Kivu Province, DRC fr
Key considerations about the context of North Kivu province including insecurity and local actors.
Video: Encouraging Safe and Dignified Burial of People who have Died from Ebola
Social Anthropologist Julienne Anoko visits communities to encourage safe and dignified burial. Infection of the Ebola virus can occur from touching the bodies of those who have died from Ebola virus disease (EVD).
Briefing
Engaging Twa Communities in Équateur Province fr
Key socio-anthropological considerations regarding ‘indigenous communities’.
Briefing
Key Considerations: Health-Seeking Behaviours in Équateur Province, DRC fr
Key socio-cultural considerations concerning health beliefs and health-seeking behaviour.
Briefing
The Context of Équateur Province, DRC fr
Key considerations about the context of Équateur Province, including climate, infrastructure and politics.
Evidence review
Burial, Funeral and Mourning Practices in Équateur Province, DRC fr
Key socio-cultural considerations concerning events related to death, burial, funerals (rites or ceremonies), and mourning.
Background report
“We Know Who is Eating the Ebola Money!”: Corruption, the State, and the Ebola Response
Sierra Leonean production of knowledge about Ebola was, in large part, production of knowledge about “who ate the Ebola money.” This article traces people’s responses to the Ebola crisis through a number of different moments, at each point reflecting on…
Background report
Use of SMS-Based Surveys in the Rapid Response to the Ebola Outbreak in Liberia: Opening Community Dialogue
During an emerging health crisis like the 2014 Ebola outbreak inWest Africa, communicating with communities to learn from them and to provide timely information can be a challenge. Insight into community thinking, however, is crucial for developing appropriate communication content…
Background report
Unintended Consequences of the ‘Bushmeat Ban’ in West Africa during the 2013-2016 Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic
Following the 2013-2016 outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa, governments across the region imposed a ban on the hunting and consumption of meat from wild animals. This injunction was accompanied by public health messages emphasising the infectious…
Background report
Understanding Social Resistance to the Ebola Response in the Forest Region of the Republic of Guinea: An Anthropological Perspective
Why did Ebola response initiatives in the Upper Guinea Forest Region regularly encounter resistance, occasionally violent? Extending existing explanations concerning local and humanitarian “culture” and “structural violence,” and drawing on previous anthropological fieldwork and historical and documentary research, this article…
Briefing
Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) Considerations: Ebola Response in DR Congo
This document was developed by the WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme as a resource for the response to the outbreak in DR Congo in May 2018. It is intended to be used to guide risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) work…
Background report
Addressing Ebola-related Stigma: Lessons Learned from HIV/AIDS
Many stigmatizing attitudes and behaviors directed towards those with EVD are strikingly similar to those with HIV/AIDS but there are significant differences worthy of discussion. Both diseases are life-threatening and there is no medical cure. Additionally misinformation about affected groups…
Evidence review
Socio-Cultural Considerations for Vaccine Introduction and Community Engagement fr
Key considerations and immediate recommendations, particularly for community engagement, in May 2018 for the Ebola outbreak in DRC.
Evidence review
Rapid Qualitative Research Methods During Complex Health Emergencies: A Systematic Review of the Literature
The 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa highlighted both the successes and limitations of social science contributions to emergency response operations. An important limitation was the rapid and effective communication of study findings. A systematic review was carried out to…
Evidence review
Estimating the Number of Secondary Ebola Cases Resulting from an Unsafe Burial and Risk Factors for Transmission during the West Africa Ebola Epidemic
Safely burying Ebola infected individuals is acknowledged to be important for controlling Ebola epidemics and was a major component of the 2013–2016 West Africa Ebola response. Yet, in order to understand the impact of safe burial programs it is necessary…
Evidence review
Material Proximities and Hotspots: Toward an Anthropology of Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
This article outlines a research program for an anthropology of viral hemorrhagic fevers (collectively known as VHFs). It begins by reviewing the social science literature on Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa fevers and charting areas for future ethnographic attention. We theoretically…
