ArticleBMJ global health2018
Trust, fear, stigma and disruptions: community perceptions and experiences during periods of low but ongoing transmission of Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone, 2015.
Article in BMJ global health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Misconceptions and Rumors about Ebola Virus Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Tell people and lose what I have: Care-seeking, concealment, and disclosure during Sierra Leone's 2025 clade IIb mpox outbreak.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Ebola disease stigma: mixed methods insights from the 2022 Sudan ebolavirus outbreak.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Ebola Stigma and Its Impact on Outbreak Control: Lessons From Key Informant Interviews in Central Uganda.Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH · 2025Article
- "It shows that I belong": a qualitative study assessing birth companionship of choice in a maternity clinic in Freetown, Sierra Leone.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- A qualitative study of Ebola survivors' psychological experiences of evacuation, treatment and community reintegration: Lessons in holistic person-centred care from the 2022 outbreak in Uganda.PLOS mental health · 2025Article
- Community health volunteers' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kiambu county, Kenya: A qualitative study.PloS one · 2025Article
- Perceived drivers of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Mubende and Kassanda districts, Uganda: a qualitative study.BMJ public health · 2024Article
- Responding to fluctuations in public and community trust and health seeking behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study of national decision-makers' perspectives in Guinea and Sierra Leone.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Ebola Virus Disease Sensitization: Community-Driven Efforts in Sierra Leone.Journal of community health · 2024Article
- Stigma among ebola disease survivors in Mubende and Kassanda districts, Central Uganda, 2022.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Unsalaried health workers in Sierra Leone: a scoping review of the literature to establish their impact on healthcare delivery.International journal for equity in health · 2023Article
- The lasting influence of Ebola: a qualitative study of community-level behaviors, trust, and perceptions three years after the 2014-16 Ebola epidemic in Liberia.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Addressing stigma in infectious disease outbreaks: a crucial step in pandemic preparedness.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Determinants of COVID-19 knowledge and self-action among African women: Evidence from Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and Nigeria.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- A post-outbreak assessment of exposure proximity and Ebola virus disease-related stigma among community members in Kono District, Sierra Leone: A cross-sectional study.SSM. Mental health · 2022Article
- Does pro-sociality or trust better predict staying home behavior during the Covid-19?Journal of behavioral and experimental economics · 2022Article
- Addressing Operational Challenges Faced by COVID-19 Public Health Rapid Response Teams in Non-United States Settings.Disaster medicine and public health preparedness · 2022Article
- Perception of strong social norms during the COVID-19 pandemic is linked to positive psychological outcomes.BMC public health · 2022Article
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Abstract
Social mobilisation and risk communication were essential to the 2014-2015 West African Ebola response. By March 2015, >8500 Ebola cases and 3370 Ebola deaths were confirmed in Sierra Leone. Response efforts were focused on 'getting to zero and staying at zero'. A critical component of this plan was to deepen and sustain community engagement. Several national quantitative studies conducted during this time revealed Ebola knowledge, personal prevention practices and traditional burial procedures improved as the outbreak waned, but healthcare system challenges were also noted. Few qualitative studies have examined these combined factors, along with survivor stigma during periods of ongoing transmission. To obtain an in-depth understanding of people's perceptions, attitudes and behaviours associated with Ebola transmission risks, 27 focus groups were conducted between April and May 2015 with adult Sierra Leonean community members on: trust in the healthcare system, interactions with Ebola survivors, impact of Ebola on lives and livelihood, and barriers and facilitators to ending the outbreak. Participants perceived that as healthcare practices and facilities improved, so did community trust. Resource management remained a noted concern. Perceptions of survivors ranged from sympathy and empathy to fear and stigmatisation. Barriers included persistent denial of ongoing Ebola transmission, secret burials and movement across porous borders. Facilitators included personal protective actions, consistent messaging and the inclusion of women and survivors in the response. Understanding community experiences during the devastating Ebola epidemic provides practical lessons for engaging similar communities in risk communication and social mobilisation during future outbreaks and public health emergencies.
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