In 2012, Uganda implemented an Ebola outbreak control initiative using community health workers and social mobilization approaches to curb the outbreak. This ethnographic study assessed community perspectives of the ebola control initiative. It found skepticism and distrust among community members about biomedical explanations for Ebola and about community health workers, who … [Read more...] about The first mile: community experience of outbreak control during an Ebola outbreak in Luwero District, Uganda
Lessons Learned from Reinforcing Epidemiologic Surveillance During the 2017 Ebola Outbreak in the Likati District, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo created an Ebola virus disease (EVD) surveillance team in response to new EVD cases in 2017. Early mobilization of a cohort including CHWs led to the successful detection and containment of cases. The authors note several key lessons and recommendations to improve disease outbreak control in rural areas. … [Read more...] about Lessons Learned from Reinforcing Epidemiologic Surveillance During the 2017 Ebola Outbreak in the Likati District, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Community Health Workers and Pandemic Preparedness: Current and Prospective Roles
Gathering insight from the Ebola and Zika pandemics, this article highlights the roles of CHWs in pandemic preparedness. It analyzes how CHWs promote community health before, during, and after a pandemic’s emergence noting their roles in health service delivery, ability to deliver culturally relevant health messages, and motivation to serve their communities. The authors … [Read more...] about Community Health Workers and Pandemic Preparedness: Current and Prospective Roles
Design and implementation of a mobile health electronic data capture platform that functions in fully-disconnected settings: a pilot study in rural Liberia
Mobile data collection in rural Liberia is limited by a lack of cellular connection. In this study CHWs and supervisors implemented an application allowing for offline data collection using Bluetooth services. Results demonstrated that the functioning of the application is worthwhile, with the program still operating 4 years after its introduction. … [Read more...] about Design and implementation of a mobile health electronic data capture platform that functions in fully-disconnected settings: a pilot study in rural Liberia
An educational intervention in rural Uganda: Risk-targeted home talks by village health workers
This study analyzed the retention of health information delivered through a family home health talk approach. Village health workers (VHWs) counseled high-risk families in their homes on targeted health topics and selected control topics. Results indicated that although overall retention was low, participants retained more knowledge at 3 months on topics directly related to … [Read more...] about An educational intervention in rural Uganda: Risk-targeted home talks by village health workers