Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
Emerg Infect Dis. 2015 March 1; Volume 21 (Issue 3); 393-399.; DOI:10.3201/eid2103.141892
Kucharski AJ, Camacho A, Checchi F, Waldman RJ, Grais RF, et al.
Emerg Infect Dis. 2015 March 1; Volume 21 (Issue 3); 393-399.; DOI:10.3201/eid2103.141892
In some parts of western Africa, Ebola treatment centers (ETCs) have reached capacity. Unless capacity is rapidly scaled up, the chance to avoid a generalized Ebola epidemic will soon diminish. The World Health Organization and partners are considering additional Ebola patient care options, including community care centers (CCCs), small, lightly staffed units that could be used to isolate patients outside the home and get them into care sooner than otherwise possible. Using a transmission model, we evaluated the benefits and risks of introducing CCCs into Sierra Leone's Western Area, where most ETCs are at capacity. We found that use of CCCs could lead to a decline in cases, even if virus transmission occurs between CCC patients and the community. However, to prevent CCC amplification of the epidemic, the risk of Ebola virus-negative persons being exposed to virus within CCCs would have to be offset by a reduction in community transmission resulting from CCC use.
Journal Article > ReviewFull Text
Lancet. 2021 February 6; Volume 397 (Issue 10273); DOI:10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00133-1
Gaffey MF, Waldman RJ, Blanchet K, Amsalu R, Capobianco E, et al.
Lancet. 2021 February 6; Volume 397 (Issue 10273); DOI:10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00133-1
Journal Article > ReviewFull Text
Lancet. 2021 February 6; Volume 397 (Issue 10273); DOI:10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00130-6
Wise PH, Shiel A, Southard N, Bendavid E, Welsh J, et al.
Lancet. 2021 February 6; Volume 397 (Issue 10273); DOI:10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00130-6
The nature of armed conflict throughout the world is intensely dynamic. Consequently, the protection of non-combatants and the provision of humanitarian services must continually adapt to this changing conflict environment. Complex political affiliations, the systematic use of explosive weapons and sexual violence, and the use of new communication technology, including social media, have created new challenges for humanitarian actors in negotiating access to affected populations and security for their own personnel. The nature of combatants has also evolved as armed, non-state actors might have varying motivations, use different forms of violence, and engage in a variety of criminal activities to generate requisite funds. New health threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and new capabilities, such as modern trauma care, have also created new challenges and opportunities for humanitarian health provision. In response, humanitarian policies and practices must develop negotiation and safety capabilities, informed by political and security realities on the ground, and guidance from affected communities. More fundamentally, humanitarian policies will need to confront a changing geopolitical environment, in which traditional humanitarian norms and protections might encounter wavering support in the years to come.