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Key considerations: Home-based care for mpox in Central and East Africa
No full textIn September 2023, an outbreak of mpox caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade Ib was reported in Kamituga, a mining region in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). More cases of mpox started to be reported across the country and in neighbouring countries in the east, including Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi.1 In February 2025, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) determined that the ongoing upsurge of mpox continues to be a public health emergency of international concern (as first declared in August 2024).Home-based care (HBC) – care provided in the private home of a person – often takes place informally for a wide range of reasons during epidemics. Home-based models of care are increasingly being explored by Ministries of Health as a strategy for managing outbreaks and providing treatment for mild forms of diseases, particularly in resource-limited settings. Reasons to implement HBC for mild forms of diseases include to provide care when there is a lack of access to or overburdened services, to prevent a risk of infection in health facilities, to accommodate people’s preferences and to empower the public when HBC is implemented in partnership with community members. Home-based models of c are for mpox should not supplant investments in the health system, but should be designed as a component of primary healthcare. Past experiences with HBC during outbreaks such as HIV and COVID-19 offer valuable lessons. However, the unique transmission dynamics of mpox – especially the risks it poses to children and those who are immunologically vulnerable in the home – require careful consideration. To date, attention has focused on infection, prevention and control (IPC) and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the home. Other aspects of mpox management and care at home also need to be considered. It is particularly important to recognise that mpox is not only a biomedical event: it is also a social phenomenon, impacting livelihoods, relationships, well-being and access to care and protection. Also, a lack of income in the absence of financial support is likely to hinder peoples’ ability to follow isolation guidance.This brief outlines key considerations on health system requirements for safe and inclusive HBC. It also foregrounds structural constraints and socio-political dynamics shaping understandings and practices of HBC, taking into consideration local and gendered perspectives on home and caregiving. The brief also examines how ongoing funding cuts in global health, humanitarian aid and development assistance are straining the capacity of both community-based initiatives and healthcare systems, further complicating home and community-based response efforts. The focus is on Central and East Africa in particular.The brief draws on conversations with experts and health actors active or knowledgeable in the region and outbreak, or both; the authors’ own expertise; and academic and grey literature on HBC and histories of epidemics in Central and East Africa. The brief includes two cases studies based on recent research in Uganda and the DRC.</p
Banco de perguntas sobre a febre hemorrágica viral: Perguntas qualitativas para compreender a dinâmica da transmissão e as experiências de cuidados
No full textAs febres hemorrágicas virais (FHV) são um grupo de doenças graves causadas por vírus que afetam diversos sistemas de órgãos e danificam o sistema cardiovascular. As FHV incluem a doença do vírus Ébola e a doença do vírus de Marburgo. Existe uma ampla variação na forma como as FHV são diagnosticadas, no seu carácter patogénico, na sua distribuição geográfica, nos seus reservatórios conhecidos (ou seja, animais ou insetos que propagam a doença) e na disponibilidade de vacinas ou tratamentos. Ao utilizar este Banco de Perguntas para uma emergência de saúde pública específica relacionada com uma FHV identificada, tenha em consideração estes fatores, para além de uma análise atualizada do contexto do país e da progressão clínica da doença junto das populações em risco.O desenvolvimento deste Banco de Perguntas baseou-se em mais de 10 anos de extensa investigação em ciências sociais realizada durante surtos de FHV e outras emergências de saúde pública que envolveram doenças infeciosas. Muitas das áreas temáticas abrangidas por este Banco de Perguntas serão relevantes para os surtos de FHV em que a transmissão pessoa-a-pessoa tenha sido identificada como um fator significativo para a propagação do surto e em que as experiências dos doentes em termos de cuidados de saúde devam ser compreendidas para uma resposta centrada na comunidade. As perguntas devem ser adaptadas à FHV específica, ao contexto do país e à população inquirida.</p
Banco de perguntas sobre mpox: Questões qualitativas para coleta de dados em nível comunitário
No full textO banco de perguntas sobre o mpox é um conjunto de perguntas qualitativas sobre a transmissão e a resposta ao mpox. Procura facilitar a recolha de dados sobre as capacidades, os comportamentos, as práticas e as perceções dos indivíduos e das comunidades em relação à prevenção e gestão do vírus mpox. O banco de perguntas pode ser utilizado por equipas no terreno e/ou equipas de investigação locais que trabalhem em comunidades com transmissão de mpox e aquelas em risco de transmissão.Este banco de perguntas foi desenvolvido pela SSHAP em colaboração com o Collective Service. Faz parte de um conjunto de bancos de perguntas solicitado pelo Collective Service para apoiar a recolha e utilização de dados sociais e comportamentais consistentes e de elevada qualidade. Baseia-se nos que foram desenvolvidos anteriormente para a cólera, a COVID-19 e a Zika. O repositório de recursos mpox do Collective Service pode ser acedido em www.rcce-collective.net/resources/thematic-kits/mpox/.</p
Key considerations: Introducing experimental vaccines during health emergencies
No full textThis brief provides an overview of the experimental stages of vaccine development during a disease outbreak and highlights key considerations at each stage from a social science perspective. This brief complements a recent SSHAP publication that synthesised social and behavioural science (SBS) evidence on vaccine trials in health emergencies. This brief outlines designs and approaches to introducing experimental vaccines during health emergencies. It then presents the SBS and risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) dimensions to consider with the introduction of experimental vaccines. The final section presents an overview of the use of experimental vaccines in recent health emergencies – including Ebola virus disease (EVD) and COVID-19 – and the associated SBS and RCCE considerations.This brief will be useful to humanitarian workers, social scientists, policymakers and people responsible for designing research or providing guidance during health emergencies, including scientists and communications specialists. The brief is based on a rapid review of published academic and grey literature, media reports and professional experience.</p
Pathways to Increase Rural Women’s Agency Within Social Protection Programmes
No full textThis rapid evidence review explores literature on how social protection programmes, particularly cash transfers and public works programmes, can address various dimensions of poverty and wellbeing that rural women face. This review focuses on the economic aspect of women’s livelihoods and wellbeing and examines how the design and implementation of social protection programmes can promote women’s agency. Women’s agency is defined as ‘the capacity for women and girls to make their own decisions, take purposeful actions and pursue goals without the fear of violence or retribution (The Gates Foundation, 2025: 1). The review summarises evidence from academic, policy focused, aid organisations and grey literature on how social protection programmes can increase the agency of women and girls in rural areas.</p
الاقتصاد السياسي لانتقال الطاقة | The Political Economy of Energy Transition
No full textMENA remains a global outlier in energy trends. Energy intensity in the region has increased by 30% since 1990, in contrast to a global decline of 35%. This is driven by the dominance of fossil fuel subsidies, inefficient public sector structures, and underdeveloped renewable energy infrastructure.Without urgent action, the region risks falling behind in the global energy transition, with significant economic and political consequences. But such actions must be pursued in ways that align with political incentives as energy transition can have distributional consequences in society. MENA countries should prioritize a phased approach to fossil fuel subsidy reform.Gradual reductions, coupled with public awareness campaigns and targeted social welfare programs, can mitigate political backlash and build support for clean energy initiatives. Redirecting subsidy savings toward renewable energy projects and introducing carbon taxes to fund these efforts could create a self-sustaining cycle of investment in clean energy.English version available.</p
Transition to Renewable Energy in the Middle East and North Africa Region: The Imperatives, Benefits, Drivers, Barriers, and the Role of MSMEs
No full textThis report is one contribution to a large and rich compendium of seminal research studies conducted by a team of distinguished researchers assembled by the Economic Research Forum (ERF) and supported by a grant from the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to undertake this important and unique project on “The Role of MSMEs in Fostering Inclusive and Equitable Sustainable Economic Growth in the Context of the Clean Energy Transition in MENA.” The study proposes a policy road map to guide the region’s energy transition, with a particular focus on ensuring the active participation of the informal sector, the public sector, the private sector and particularly the MSMEs in this critical and unique transition. This road map outlines some key milestones, policy interventions, stakeholder responsibilities, and concrete measures that sought to provide a clear path for achieving regional and national renewable energy targets. By including the informal economy in this framework, and by emphasizing the targeting of the empowerment of women and the youth of the region, this road map could be relied upon to promote an inclusive and just transition that benefits all segments of society. In a nutshell the road map prioritizes the reduction of regulatory and financial barriers faced by MSMEs, providing targeted support to informal businesses, developing public-private partnerships and cooperative clusters of firms to facilitate the adoption of renewable energy technologies across sectors. It also focused on raising public awareness, improving energy literacy, energy efficiency, training of labor, and building a supportive ecosystem for businesses and community stakeholders to transition to clean energy solutions.</p
Rapid Scoping Review 2025: Kenya
No full textKenya’s socio-political environment presents significant challenges for women’s rights and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and more (LGBTQI+) rights. Conservative social attitudes – deeply influenced by religious beliefs, political leaders, and traditional norms – exacerbate these challenges. There have also been efforts to uphold traditional gender norms and hierarchical structures, including restricting access to sexual and reproductive health services. Economic factors, such as funding constraints, further impact the ability of organisations to sustain advocacy and support efforts for women’s rights and LGBTQI+ rights. For this brief, a total of eight organisations, individuals, and smaller groups were analysed, offering a well-rounded perspective on efforts to counter rollback. It explores the context of rollback, the landscape of anti-rollback actors, counter-rollback strategies, and gaps and areas for future research and work.</p
Rapid Scoping Review 2025: Kazakhstan
No full textIn Kazakhstan, social tensions between the Soviet legacy and the country’s identity as an independent nation perpetuate deep-seated homophobia. Despite the decriminalisation of consensual same-sex conduct in 1998, individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and more (LGBT+) continue to face fear and abuse, leading them to conceal their identities. For this brief, six organisations were analysed in some detail, with additional insights drawn from a broader examination of smaller groups and individuals engaged in countering rollback.</p
Rapid Scoping Review 2025: India
No full textOver the past decade, entrenched intersectional inequalities in India have been deepened by the shrinking space for civil society, the criminalisation of dissent and mass-incarceration of activists, state-sponsored violence against marginalised communities, the corporatisation of media, and the rise of anti-feminist trends, particularly following the change in government after the 2014 elections. Women human rights defenders, and Dalit, Adivasi, Bahujan, and Muslim women have been especially impacted by these shifts. This brief explores the background and context of rollback in India, the landscape of anti-rollback actors, counter-rollback strategies, and gaps and areas for future research/work.</p