Search
Search within West and Central Africa
501 results found
Briefings
Controversial Ebola Vaccine Trials in Ghana: A Thematic Analysis of Critiques and Rebuttals in Digital News
Communication is of paramount importance in responding to health crises. The authors studied the media messages put forth by different stakeholders in two Ebola vaccine trials that became controversial in Ghana. These interactions between health authorities, political actors, and public…
Background Reports
Community Perception and Beliefs About Blood Draw for Clinical Research in Ghana
Clinical research participants often express concerns about blood draw because of misconceptions about the uses to which the blood will be put. Their comments can generate rumours in their communities, thereby affecting rates of recruitment to research studies and increasing…
Background Reports
Changing Language, Remaining Pygmy
In this article the author illustrates the linguistic diversity of African Pygmy populations in order to better address their anthropological diversity and history. The author also introduces a new method, based on the analysis of specialised vocabulary, to reconstruct the…
Beating the Odds: Successful Establishment of a Phase II/III Clinical Research Trial in Resource-Poor Liberia during the Largest-Ever Ebola Outbreak
It has been argued that a country such as Liberia, not fully recovered from the devastation of decades of civil unrest, lacked the appropriate ethical and regulatory framework, basic human and health care services, and infrastructure to carry out clinical…
Evidence Reviews
At Home with Mastomys and Rattus: Human-Rodent Interactions and Potential for Primary Transmission of Lassa Virus in Domestic Spaces
The multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis) is the reservoir for Lassa virus (LASV). Zoonotic transmission occurs when humans are directly or indirectly exposed to fluids of the multimammate mouse, such as urine, saliva, and blood. Housing characteristics and domestic organization affect…
Evidence Reviews
Antibiotic Prescribing in DR Congo: a Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey among Medical Doctors and Students
Antibiotic resistance (ABR) particularly hits resource poor countries, and is fuelled by irrational antibiotic (AB) prescribing. The authors surveyed knowledge, attitudes and practices of AB prescribing among medical students and doctors in Kisangani, DR Congo. This data shows the need for…
Briefings
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 Reports
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 Reviews
Socio-Cultural Considerations for Vaccine Introduction and Community Engagement
Key considerations and immediate recommendations, particularly for community engagement, in May 2018 for the Ebola outbreak in DRC.
Evidence Reviews
Evidence Reviews
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 Reviews
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…
