Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
<p>Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Situation Report 17 December 2014 (<a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003567#pntd.0003567.s003" target="_blank">S1... more
<p>Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Situation Report 17 December 2014 (<a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003567#pntd.0003567.s003" target="_blank">S1 Dataset</a> and <a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003567#pntd.0003567.s004" target="_blank">S2 Dataset</a>). Figure plots all confirmed Ebola cases by district as of 17 December 2014, and main rivers and roads.</p
Research Interests:
<p>Source: Figure plots the distance frequencies to the Chiefdom headquarter towns for villages with an Agri-Business Center (Panel A (<a... more
<p>Source: Figure plots the distance frequencies to the Chiefdom headquarter towns for villages with an Agri-Business Center (Panel A (<a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003567#pntd.0003567.s005" target="_blank">S3 Dataset</a>), villages without an Agri-Business center (Panel B, (<a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003567#pntd.0003567.s005" target="_blank">S3 Dataset</a>)) and villages around the GRNP (Panel C, Household Survey (<a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003567#pntd.0003567.s007" target="_blank">S5 Dataset</a>)).</p
Research Interests:
<p>ABC Household Survey (<a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003567#pntd.0003567.s005" target="_blank">S3 Dataset</a>), 2200 respondents in 117. The graph plots... more
<p>ABC Household Survey (<a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003567#pntd.0003567.s005" target="_blank">S3 Dataset</a>), 2200 respondents in 117. The graph plots mean response and 95% confidence interval upper and lower bound. Panel A asks respondents “How much do you trust [institution]? “, responses are on a five point scale ranging from “Not at all” to “Completely”. For Panel B, respondents are asked “If you were in trouble, would you go to these people for help?”, responses are on a three point scale ranging “No never” to “Definitely”.</p
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Upper West Africa is the largest ever re-corded. Molecular evidence suggests spread has been almost exclusively through human-to-human contact. Social factors are thus clearly important to... more
The current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Upper West Africa is the largest ever re-corded. Molecular evidence suggests spread has been almost exclusively through human-to-human contact. Social factors are thus clearly important to understand the epidemic and ways in which it might be stopped, but these factors have so far been little analyzed. The present paper focuses on Sierra Leone, and provides cross sectional data on the least un-derstood part of the epidemic—the largely undocumented spread of Ebola in rural areas. Various forms of social networking in rural communities and their relevance for understand-ing pathways of transmission are described. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between marriage, funerals and land tenure. Funerals are known to be a high-risk factor for infection. It is suggested that more than a shift in awareness of risks will be needed to change local patterns of behavior, especially in regard to funerals, since these are central to the ...
ABSTRACT This article shares findings on COVID-19 in Africa across 2020 to examine concepts and practices of epidemic preparedness and response. Amidst uncertainties about the trajectory of COVID-19, the stages of emergency response... more
ABSTRACT This article shares findings on COVID-19 in Africa across 2020 to examine concepts and practices of epidemic preparedness and response. Amidst uncertainties about the trajectory of COVID-19, the stages of emergency response emerge in practice as interconnected. We illustrate how complex dynamics manifest as diverse actors interpret and modify approaches according to contexts and experiences. We suggest that the concept of “intersecting precarities” best captures the temporalities at stake; that these precarities include the effects of epidemic control measures; and that people do not just accept but actively negotiate these intersections as they seek to sustain their lives and livelihoods.
Research Interests:
Rural‐based insurgencies disrupted the forest margins of Upper West Africa in the 1990s. A subsequent return to peace was accompanied by strong growth in small‐scale trade in foodstuffs and other agrarian produce in high demand in towns.... more
Rural‐based insurgencies disrupted the forest margins of Upper West Africa in the 1990s. A subsequent return to peace was accompanied by strong growth in small‐scale trade in foodstuffs and other agrarian produce in high demand in towns. Motor cycle taxis are a feature of this increased rural–urban market integration. It was a mode of transport pioneered by ex‐combatants. Where rural women were once attacked by rural young men without job prospects press ganged into fighting for the rebels, bike taxi riders now carry them to rural periodic markets, many of which are new since the end of conflict. The study provides an analytical account of these developments, drawing on discussions with villagers in three heavily war‐affected localities of Sierra Leone. The evidence indicates that communities divided by conflict have quietly built new cooperative links conducive to peace based on local agricultural production and petty trade.
Research Interests:
This paper explores the role of decentralised community-based care systems in achieving sustainable healthcare in resource-poor areas. Based on case studies from Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Uganda and Ethiopia, the paper argues that a... more
This paper explores the role of decentralised community-based care systems in achieving sustainable healthcare in resource-poor areas. Based on case studies from Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Uganda and Ethiopia, the paper argues that a community-based system of healthcare is more effective in the prevention, early diagnosis, and primary care in response to the zoonotic and infectious diseases associated with extreme weather events as well as their direct health impacts. Community-based systems of care have a more holistic view of the determinants of health and can integrate responses to health challenges, social wellbeing, ecological and economic viability. The case studies profiled in this paper reveal the importance of expanding notions of health to encompass the whole environment (physical and social, across time and space) in which people live, including the explicit recognition of ecological interests and their interconnections with health. While much work still needs to be done i...
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Psychology, Sierra Leone, Health, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, and 4 moreDisease, PLoS one, Rural Area, and Pandemic
Research Interests:
At the height of the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone in November 2014, a new decentralized approach to ending infection chains was adopted. This approach was based on building local, small-scale Community Care Centres (CCC) intended to... more
At the height of the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone in November 2014, a new decentralized approach to ending infection chains was adopted. This approach was based on building local, small-scale Community Care Centres (CCC) intended to serve as triage units for safe handling of patients waiting for test results, with subsequent transfer to Ebola Treatment Centers (ETC) for those who tested positive for Ebola. This paper deals with local response to the CCC, and explores, through qualitative analysis of focus group data sets, why communities see CCC in a positive light. The responses of 562 focus group participants in seven villages with CCC and seven neighbouring control villages without CCC are assessed. These data confirm that CCC are compatible with community values concerning access to, and family care for, the sick. Mixed reactions are reported in the case of “safe burial”, a process that directly challenged ritual activity seen as vital to maintaining good relations between soc...
Research Interests:
In rural Liberia and Sierra Leone about half of motorcycle taxi passengers are female, with this proportion increasing on market days. However, all motorcycle taxi operators in rural areas are male. This study assessed if and how... more
In rural Liberia and Sierra Leone about half of motorcycle taxi passengers are female, with this proportion increasing on market days. However, all motorcycle taxi operators in rural areas are male. This study assessed if and how motorcycle taxis have contributed to the livelihoods of rural women and whether there is appetite among them to become operators themselves. Data were gathered through male and female focus group discussions, roadside traffic counts and operator and passenger surveys. The study was conducted in three districts in rural Sierra Leone and one rural county in Liberia. The Liberia field site was the location of a pioneering pilot project on upgrading footpaths to motorcycle-accessible tracks. This project, funded by a German development agency, aimed to connect remote villages to the feeder road network. Both men and women were involved in track construction and this study assessed whether the women's involvement made them more likely to take up commercial m...
Research Interests:
The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa has drawn attention to the role and responsiveness of health systems in the face of shock. It brought into sharp focus the idea that health systems need not only to be... more
The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa has drawn attention to the role and responsiveness of health systems in the face of shock. It brought into sharp focus the idea that health systems need not only to be stronger but also more 'resilient'. In this article, we argue that responding to shocks is an important aspect of resilience, examining the health system behaviour in the face of four types of contemporary shocks: the financial crisis in Europe from 2008 onwards; climate change disasters; the EVD outbreak in West Africa 2013-16; and the recent refugee and migration crisis in Europe. Based on this analysis, we identify '3 plus 2' critical dimensions of particular relevance to health systems' ability to adapt and respond to shocks; actions in all of these will determine the extent to which a response is successful. These are three core dimensions corresponding to three health systems functions: 'health information systems' (havin...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Upper West Africa is the largest ever recorded. Molecular evidence suggests spread has been almost exclusively through human-to-human contact. Social factors are thus clearly important to... more
The current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Upper West Africa is the largest ever recorded. Molecular evidence suggests spread has been almost exclusively through human-to-human contact. Social factors are thus clearly important to understand the epidemic and ways in which it might be stopped, but these factors have so far been little analyzed. The present paper focuses on Sierra Leone, and provides cross sectional data on the least understood part of the epidemic-the largely undocumented spread of Ebola in rural areas. Various forms of social networking in rural communities and their relevance for understanding pathways of transmission are described. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between marriage, funerals and land tenure. Funerals are known to be a high-risk factor for infection. It is suggested that more than a shift in awareness of risks will be needed to change local patterns of behavior, especially in regard to funerals, since these are central to the con...