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Research paper
Data value and care value in the practice of health systems: A case study in Uganda
In anthropology, interest in how values are created, maintained and changed has been reinvigorated. We interrogate concerns about relationships between data collection and patient care by following a pilot study in Kayunga, Uganda aimed at improving the collection of health…
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…
Background report
Building Climate Resilience in Fragile Contexts: Key Findings of BRACED Research in South Sudan
This paper is a synthesis of key findings from research undertaken with the BRACED research portfolio which aimed to influence and strengthen the delivery of BRACED programming in South Sudan and national and subnational climate related programming in the future.…
Research paper
Climate change and variability: a review of what is known and ought to be known for Uganda
This review of scientific research findings aims to create a better understanding of the recent climate change and variability in Uganda and provides a baseline of summarized information for use in future research and actions.
Research paper
Political economy of violence against women in Sudan
An analysis of the main socio-economic, political and cultural factors contributing to the emergence and perpetuation of violence against women, especially in conflict-prone areas.
Corruption and “culture” in anthropology and in Nigeria
This article examines the publication and reception of a book about corruption in Nigeria as a form of ethnographic evidence that is useful to interrogate the fraught relationship between the concepts of culture and corruption. The evidence points to multiple…
Problems endure despite policies: Urban livelihoods after forced displacement
This chapter considers issues related to urban development-caused forced displacement and resettlement and the legal and policy approaches developed to address them to assess what difference national and international policies and guidelines have made to the outcomes of urban forced…
Research paper
Reaching the end goal: Do interventions to improve climate information services lead to greater food security?
Through household surveys, focus group activities, and participant observation, this research investigates linkages between CIS, uptake of CSA practices, and household food security through investigation of four research sites, two in Senegal and two in Kenya. Through household surveys, focus…
Research paper
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…
Research paper
“We are the heroes because we are ready to die for this country”: Participants’ decision-making and grounded ethics in an Ebola vaccine clinical trial
This paper reports findings from social science research carried out in Kambia, Northern Sierra Leone during first year of an Ebola vaccine trial (August 2015–July 2016). The study used a range of qualitative methods to explore participant motivations for volunteering…
Background report
Women,Peace and Casamance – A field study of how women organisations in Casamance, Senegal are working for peace
Drawing on feminist critical theory, this ethnographic study in Casamance examined how gender roles affect women and women organisations strive for peace. The research shows how embedded gender roles in the Senegalese society and the patriarchal system dominate, making it…
Research paper
Coping with trauma and adversity among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip: A qualitative, culture-informed analysis
In this article, the authors propose that coping is not only an individual property but also a structural feature.
Factsheet
Remote response to Ebola outbreak in DRC fr
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…
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.
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
Contextual Factors Shaping Cholera Transmission and Treatment-Seeking in Somalia and the Somali Region of Ethiopia
The drought in the Horn of Africa and the protracted conflict has created a humanitarian emergency that has led to a declaration of famine in several regions of Somalia and the Somali region of Ethiopia. As a result of depleted…
8 Critical Factors Behind Every Food Crisis
From the beginning of time, their have been food crises in one form or another. Ancient books such as the Bible have records of various famines devastating portions of the world. And while it’s easy to attribute these crises to…
Background report
Field notes
Cholera Fears Rise Following Atlantic Hurricanes
As hurricanes barrel through some of the most impoverished communities in the Western Hemisphere, and as floods ravage Yemen, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh and India, now is the time to rethink and prioritize cholera epidemic prevention and response. In the aftermath…
Evidence review
Social and Cultural Factors Shaping Health and Nutrition, Wellbeing and Protection of the Rohingya Within a Humanitarian Context
More than half a million Rohingya refugees, 60% of them children (UNICEF 2017), have crossed the border into Bangladesh, joining refugee camps or settling informally, and are in dire need of basic services such as food, health care, and protection.…
Background report
Recurrent Failings of Medical Humanitarianism: Intractable, Ignored, or Just Exaggerated?
Humanitarian health workers operate in dangerous and uncertain contexts, in which mistakes and failures are common, often have severe consequences, and are regularly repeated, despite being documented by many reviews. This Series paper aims to discuss the failures of medical…
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…
An Analysis of Community Perceptions of Mosquito-Borne Disease Control and Prevention in Sint Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands
In the Caribbean, mosquito-borne diseases are a public health threat. In Sint Eustatius, dengue, Chikungunya and Zika are now endemic. To control and prevent mosquito-borne diseases, the Sint Eustatius Public Health Department relies on the community to assist with the…
Briefing
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…
Field notes
Cultural Influences Behind Cholera Transmission in the Far North Region, Republic of Cameroon: A Field Experience and Implications for Operational Level Planning of Interventions
In recent years, the Far North Region of Cameroon has experienced serious and recurrent Cholera outbreaks. Yet, understanding of cultural influences on outbreaks and spread remain poorly understood. This qualitative study explored cultural influences on Cholera exposure in this region.…
Background report
Ebola Through a Glass, Darkly: Ways of Knowing the State and Each Other
The Ebola epidemic unfolded in radically divergent manners in two neighboring villages in Sierra Leone, with one recording 40 cases and 20 deaths and the other recording zero cases, though they are located only 100 meters apart. Presented with identical…
Background report
Emerging Disease or Emerging Diagnosis?: Lassa Fever and Ebola in Sierra Leone
It has become routine to attribute the tragedy of the West African Ebola epidemic to inexperience and lack of knowledge. The states and citizens of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone were portrayed as entirely unfamiliar with Ebola and therefore without…
Background report
Epidemics (Especially Ebola)
Anthropology’s response to the West African Ebola epidemic was one of the most rapid and expansive anthropological interventions to a global health emergency in the discipline’s history. This article sets forth the size and scale of the anthropological response and…
Briefing
Ethical Challenges for International Collaborative Research Partnerships in the Context of the Zika Outbreak in the Dominican Republic: A Qualitative Case Study
The establishment of international collaborative research partnerships in times of infectious disease outbreaks of international importance has been considered an ethical imperative. Frail health research systems in low- and middle-income countries can be an obstacle to achieve the goal of…
Background report
Health Seeking Behaviour Among Suspected Cases of Cholera in Cameroonian Health Districts in Lake Chad Basin
Cholera outbreaks are recurrent in Cameroon and despite the efforts put together during epidemics, they are always associated with a high case fatality. Inadequate demand for health care is one of the major factors that might be responsible for the…
Background report
Innovative Vaccine Delivery Strategies in Response to a Cholera Outbreak in the Challenging Context of Lake Chilwa: A Rapid Qualitative Assessment
A reactive campaign using two doses of Shanchol Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) was implemented in 2016 in the Lake Chilwa Region (Malawi) targeting fish dependent communities. Three strategies for the second vaccine dose delivery (including delivery by a community leader…
Research paper
Knowledge and attitude towards Ebola and Marburg virus diseases in Uganda using quantitative and participatory epidemiology techniques
This paper describes knowledge and attitude towards Ebola and Marburg virus outbreaks in two affected communities in Uganda to inform future outbreak responses and help in the design of health education and communication messages.
Briefing
Knowledge and Practices Related to Plague in an Endemic Area of Uganda
Plague is a virulent zoonosis reported most commonly from Sub-Saharan Africa. Early treatment with antibiotics is important to prevent mortality. Understanding knowledge gaps and common behaviors informs the development of educational efforts to reduce plague mortality. Methods A multi-stage cluster-sampled…
Background report
Living with Bats: The Case of Ve Golokuati Township in the Volta Region of Ghana
Transmission of zoonotic pathogens from bats to humans through direct and indirect contact with bats raises public apprehension about living close to bats. In the township of Ve Golokuati in Ghana, several “camps” of Epomophorus gambianus roost in fruit trees…
Background report
Local Disease-Ecosystem-Livelihood Dynamics: Reflections from Comparative Case Studies in Africa
This article explores the implications for human health of local interactions between disease, ecosystems and livelihoods. Five interdisciplinary case studies addressed zoonotic diseases in African settings: Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Kenya, human African trypanosomiasis in Zambia and Zimbabwe, Lassa…
Background report
Briefing
Revitalizing Health for All: Case Studies of the Struggle for Comprehensive Primary Health Care
While impressive medical and technological developments have improved health care around the world, improvements in health have been moderate and inconsistent across countries and communities. In response to this challenge, the World Health Organization outlined the concept of comprehensive primary health care, which…
Background report
Rift Valley Fever: A Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice of Slaughterhouse Workers and Community Members in Kabale District, Uganda
Rift Valley Fever virus (RVF) is a zoonotic virus in the Phenuiviridae family. RVF outbreaks can cause significant morbidity and mortality in humans and animals. Following the diagnosis of two RVF cases in March 2016 in southern Kabale district, Uganda,…
