This report is the third instalment of the ‘Social Science in Epidemics’ series, commissioned by the USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Direct Assistance (OFDA). In this series, past outbreaks are reviewed in order to identify social science ‘entry points’ for emergency interventions and preparedness activities. The aim is to determine tangible ways to address the […]
Cultural logics
16 documents
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 vaccinations in the case of an Ebola outbreak, including: establishing surveillance of these services and […]
Social Science and Behavioural Data Compilation – November 2018
This rapid compilation of data analyses provides a ‘stock-take’ of social science and behavioural data related to the outbreak of Ebola in North Kivu and Ituri provinces. Based on data gathered and analysed by organisations working in the region, we aimed to explore convergences and divergences between datasets and, when possible, differences by geographic area, […]
Social Science in Epidemics: Ebola Virus Disease Lessons Learned
This report is the second instalment of the ‘Social Science in Epidemics’ series, commissioned by the USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Direct Assistance (OFDA). In this series past outbreaks are reviewed in order to identify social science ‘entry points’ for emergency interventions and preparedness activities. The aim is to determine tangible ways to address the […]
Social Science in Epidemics: Cholera Lessons Learned
This report is the first instalment of the ‘Social Science in Epidemics’ series, commissioned by the USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Direct Assistance (OFDA). In this series, past outbreaks are reviewed in order to identify social science ‘entry points’ for emergency interventions and preparedness activities. The aim is to determine tangible ways to address the […]
Cultural Practices on Burial and Care for the Sick in South Sudan
Literature on cultural practices for burial and care for the sick among individual ethnic groups in South Sudan was very limited. However, it clearly points to the importance of proper burials among all ethnic groups: these typically entail washing the body of the deceased; it can take several days before burial takes place; and graves […]
Considérations Clés: Inhumation, Funérailles et Pratiques de Deuil dans la Province de l’Équateur, RDC
Cette note stratégique résume les problèmes sociaux-culturels clés liés à des événements en rapport avec les décès, l’inhumation, les funérailles, (rites ou cérémonies), et le deuil dans le contexte de la flambée épidémique d’Ébola en RDC, en juin 2018. Une analyse plus complète devrait être faite, mais en raison de la transmission qui se poursuit, […]
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. Interviews and group discussions were conducted in two phases. Phase I involved key informants and […]
Culture and Health
Planned and unplanned migrations, diverse social practices, and emerging disease vectors transform how health and wellbeing are understood and negotiated. Simultaneously, familiar illnesses-both communicable and non-communicable-continue to affect individual health and household, community, and state economies. Together, these forces shape medical knowledge and how it is understood, how it comes to be valued, and when […]
Rat-Atouille: A Mixed Method Study to Characterize Rodent Hunting and Consumption in the Context of Lassa Fever
Lassa Fever is a zoonotic hemorrhagic illness predominant in areas across Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, and southern Mali. The reservoir of Lassa virus is the multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis), a highly commensal species in West Africa. Primary transmission to humans occurs through direct or indirect contact with rodent body fluids such as urine, feces, […]
