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2. Global Health Security and Pandemics: Community Involvement
- Author:
- Sophie Harman
- Publication Date:
- 03-2020
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
- Abstract:
- The second episode in the series on global health security and pandemics will focus on community involvement and responses to coronavirus. The episode is introduced by Professor Tim Bale and presented by Professor Sophie Harman.
- Topic:
- Infectious Diseases, Global Security, Public Health, and Pandemic
- Political Geography:
- Global Focus
3. Building Resilient Health Systems: Experimental Evidence from Sierra Leone and the 2014 Ebola Outbreak
- Author:
- Bilal Siddiqi, Maarten Voors, Johannes Haushofer, Oeindrila Dube, and Darin Christensen
- Publication Date:
- 03-2020
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Empirical Studies of Conflict Project (ESOC)
- Abstract:
- Developing countries are characterized by high rates of mortality and morbidity. A potential contributing factor is the low utilization of health systems, stemming from the low perceived quality of care delivered by health personnel. This factor may be especially critical during crises, when individuals choose whether to cooperate with response efforts and frontline health personnel. We experimentally examine efforts aimed at improving health worker performance in the context of the 2014–15 West African Ebola crisis. Roughly two years before the outbreak in Sierra Leone, we randomly assigned two accountability interventions to government-run health clinics — one focused on community monitoring and the other gave status awards to clinic staff. We find that over the medium run, prior to the Ebola crisis, both interventions led to improvements in utilization of clinics and patient satisfaction with the health system. In addition, child health outcomes improved substantially in the catchment areas of community monitoring clinics. During the crisis, the interventions also led to higher reported Ebola cases, as well as lower mortality from Ebola—particularly in areas with community monitoring clinics. We explore three potential mechanisms: the interventions (1) increased the likelihood that patients reported Ebola symptoms and sought care; (2) unintentionally increased Ebola incidence; or (3) improved surveillance efforts. We find evidence consistent with the first: by building trust and confidence in health workers, and improving the perceived quality of care provided by clinics prior to the outbreak, the interventions encouraged patients to report and receive treatment. Our results suggest that accountability interventions not only have the power to improve health systems during normal times, but can additionally make health systems resilient to crises that may emerge over the longer run.
- Topic:
- Health, Infectious Diseases, Health Care Policy, Mortality, Public Health, and Pandemic
- Political Geography:
- West Africa and Sierra Leone
4. New Findings on Links between Urban Expansion and Viral Disease in Vietnam Offer Lessons for COVID-19
- Author:
- James H. Spencer, Sumeet Saksena, and Jefferson Fox
- Publication Date:
- 04-2020
- Content Type:
- Commentary and Analysis
- Institution:
- East-West Center
- Abstract:
- The current COVID-19 pandemic, which started in Wuhan, China, underscores what the public health community has warned about for more than two decades—the risk of viral diseases capable of spreading from animal to human hosts. The first outbreaks of “bird flu” (highly pathogenic avian influenza—HPAI, subtype H5N1)—raised similar concerns 20 years ago, concerns that have persisted with the outbreak of SARS in 2002–2004 and COVID-19 today. A recent study compared information on infrastructure and other aspects of economic development in Vietnam with outbreaks of avian influenza. While this research focuses on avian influenza in Vietnam, the study of links between infrastructure characteristics and new and reemerging health risks has broad applicability, especially given the global importance of today’s rapidly expanding urban landscapes.
- Topic:
- Infectious Diseases, Urban, and COVID-19
- Political Geography:
- China, Asia, and Vietnam