Briefings and Guides : Preparedness

Africa APPG inquiry: Community led health systems & the Ebola outbreak

The Ebola crisis of 2014-15 has brought questions around the roles of communities and health systems into sharp relief – both in relation to crisis response, and to the challenges of post-crisis recovery and building resilience to future epidemics. The Institute of Development Studies is pleased to make this submission to the APPG inquiry on these crucial questions. This submission draws upon this work and highlights the need for developing health systems and health crisis response mechanisms that actively seek, engage and adapt to local Continue reading →

Never Again: Building resilient health systems and learning from the Ebola crisis

It took the threat of a global health crisis to illustrate the failings of Africa’s health systems. Resilient health systems, free at the point of use, are evidently a global public good. They are essential for the provision of universal health coverage and for a prompt response to outbreaks of disease. Resilient health systems require long-term investment in the six key elements that are required for a resilient system: an adequate numbers of trained health workers; available medicines; robust health information systems, including surveillance; appropriate Continue reading →

Infectious disease: Tough choices to reduce Ebola transmission

Christopher J. M. Whitty and colleagues explain why the United Kingdom is funding many small community centres to isolate suspected cases in Sierra Leone. The UK government is leading the international response to Ebola in Sierra Leone, providing technical, financial and logistical help. This article sets out the scientific basis for the UK government’s strategy to assist Sierra Leone’s government to reduce transmission. In addition to substantially scaling up conventional capacities at hospitals, the UK plan to help to build and support community isolation centres where Continue reading →

Regional food insecurity, work migration and roadblocks

This brief summarises some key considerations about food insecurity, the migration of men and youth  for work and the  implication these movements may have for the Ebola response. The details have been collated from  suggestions and insights provided by networks of anthropologists* who work Liberia, Sierra Leone  and Guinea (both in-­‐country and remotely). These are general considerations that are broadly  relevant to the movement of people during the dry season, but further investigation into local specificities is required. The French version of the report is Continue reading →