Document Library
The document library features summaries and links to editorially-selected publications on the key themes of health, education, nutrition, social protection and WASH. The documents are sourced from academic research, policy papers and global development organisations.
SSHAP convened a virtual roundtable of expert advisors on Friday 12 March 2021 to discuss the outbreak of Ebola in Guinea declared on 14 February 2021. At the time of writing (19 March 2021), there have been 18 cases (14 confirmed, 4 probable), 9 deaths (including 5 in the community; CFR 50%) and 6 recoveries…. Read more
As the unequal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, there is a need to robustly support vulnerable communities and bolster ‘community resilience.’ A community resilience approach means to work in partnership with communities and strengthen their capacities to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, including its social and economic fallout. However, this is not resilience… Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed long-standing social inequalities and vulnerabilities, with the most disadvantaged and marginalised groups bearing the greatest health, social, and economic burdens. Beyond documenting these vulnerabilities, there is a need to mitigate them and support the resilience of marginalised communities. ‘Community resilience’ can bolster community capacity to cope with the pressures of… Read more
Information epidemiology or infodemiology is the study of infodemics – defined by the World Health Organization as an overabundance of information, some accurate and some not, that occurs during a pandemic or other significant event that may impact public health. Infodemic management is the practice of infodemiology and may sit within the risk communication and… Read more
This paper addresses COVID-19 in India, looking at how the interplay of inequality, vulnerability, and the pandemic has compounded uncertainties for poor and marginalised groups, leading to insecurity, stigma and a severe loss of livelihoods. A strict government lockdown destroyed the incomes of farmers and urban informal workers and triggered an exodus of migrant workers… Read more
This report is based on a rapid survey of recently published materials, guidance documents and media commentary. It summarises what we know and understand about the impacts of the prolonged school closures that followed the spread of Covid-19 and the context of school reopening and plans for learning recovery. The first chapter of this report… Read more
COVID-19 vaccine has been framed as the ultimate solution needed to end the pandemic. A substantial number of vaccine candidates are in development, and several are undergoing clinical trials, with the first promising results recently published. While this provides hope as part of a solution to the pandemic it also raises concerns over how vaccines… Read more
In situations of long term or protracted emergencies, populations can suffer from fatigue or complacency about the measures designed to protect them. This brief focuses on social and cultural influences for sustained COVID-19 prevention and risk reduction behaviours in the Eastern Mediterranean / Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. COVID-19 has shifted from an… Read more
Mozambique was hit by Cyclone Idai in March 2019, followed by Cyclone Kenneth in April 2019, causing about 2.2 million people to require humanitarian assistance in cyclone-affected areas, and an outbreak of cholera in Sofala Province. This SSHAP Case Study explores the role of repurposing U-Report – a platform created by the United Nations Children’s… Read more
Shielding is a term used to describe the protection of individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19 illness by separating them from the general population. An initial analysis of key considerations regarding shielding was set forth in the previous Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP) publication on shielding; this new analysis should be read… Read more
This paper reviews the effects of vertical responses to COVID-19 on health systems, services, and people’s access to and use of them in LMICs, where historic and ongoing under-investments heighten vulnerability to a multiplicity of health threats. We use the term ‘vertical response’ to describe decisions, measures and actions taken solely with the purpose of… Read more