Articles

Health needs of older populations affected by humanitarian crises in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review

The combination of global demographic changes and a growing number of humanitarian crises in middle-income countries that have a higher life expectancy has led to an increase in the number of older populations...

Authors: Emma Massey, James Smith and Bayard Roberts

A comprehensive review of HIV/STI prevention and sexual and reproductive health services among sex Workers in Conflict-Affected Settings: call for an evidence- and rights-based approach in the humanitarian response

While the conditions in emergency humanitarian and conflict-affected settings often result in significant sex work economies, there is limited information on the social and structural conditions of sex work in...

Authors: Alyssa Ferguson, Kate Shannon, Jennifer Butler and Shira M. Goldenberg

Including refugees in disease elimination: challenges observed from a sleeping sickness programme in Uganda

Ensuring equity between forcibly-displaced and host area populations is a key challenge for global elimination programmes. We studied Uganda’s response to the recent refugee influx from South Sudan to identify...

Authors: Jennifer J. Palmer, Okello Robert and Freddie Kansiime

Public health implications of complex emergencies and natural disasters

During the last decade, conflict or natural disasters have displaced unprecedented numbers of persons. This leads to conditions prone to outbreaks that imperil the health of displaced persons and threaten glob...

Authors: Amanda Culver, Roger Rochat and Susan T. Cookson

Improving detection of mental health problems in community settings in Nepal: development and pilot testing of the community informant detection tool

Despite increasing efforts to expand availability of mental health services throughout the world, there continues to be limited utilization of these services by persons with mental illness and their families. ...

Authors: Prasansa Subba, Nagendra P. Luitel, Brandon A. Kohrt and Mark J. D. Jordans

Addressing culture and context in humanitarian response: preparing desk reviews to inform mental health and psychosocial support

Delivery of effective mental health and psychosocial support programs requires knowledge of existing health systems and socio-cultural context. To respond rapidly to humanitarian emergencies, international org...

Authors: M. Claire Greene, Mark J. D. Jordans, Brandon A. Kohrt, Peter Ventevogel, Laurence J. Kirmayer, Ghayda Hassan, Anna Chiumento, Mark van Ommeren and Wietse A. Tol

Prioritizing programming to address the needs and risks of very young adolescents: a summary of findings across three humanitarian settings

Between 2013 and 2014, a series of qualitative and quantitative research efforts were undertaken in three conflict affected communities (Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Somali refugees in Kobe Re...

Authors: Jennifer Schlecht, Catherine Lee, Brad Kerner, Meghan Greeley and Courtland Robinson

Sexual and reproductive health needs and risks of very young adolescent refugees and migrants from Myanmar living in Thailand

The very young adolescent (VYA) population age 10–14 years is often neglected in the field of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) research due to the combined sensitivity of the topic and the young age group,...

Authors: Catherine Lee, Yasmina Aules, Samira Sami, Paw Kree Lar, Jennifer Schlect and Courtland Robinson

A qualitative study exploring child marriage practices among Syrian conflict-affected populations in Lebanon

Recent reports have suggested that child marriage among Syrians may be increasing as a result of displacement and conflict. This study sought to gather qualitative data about the factors that promote child mar...

Authors: Rima Mourtada, Jennifer Schlecht and Jocelyn DeJong

Understanding the unique experiences, perspectives and sexual and reproductive health needs of very young adolescents: Somali refugees in Ethiopia

Kobe Refugee camp hosts roughly 39,000 refugees displaced from Somalia during the 2011–2012 Horn of Africa Crisis. Sexual and reproductive health, as with the greater issues of health and well-being for adoles...

Authors: Luis Ortiz-Echevarria, Meghan Greeley, Tenaw Bawoke, Linnea Zimmerman, Courtland Robinson and Jennifer Schlecht

Transitions into puberty and access to sexual and reproductive health information in two humanitarian settings: a cross-sectional survey of very young adolescents from Somalia and Myanmar

Very young adolescents (VYA) in humanitarian settings are largely neglected in terms of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). This study describes the characteristics of VYA aged 10-14 years in two humanitaria...

Authors: Anna E. Kågesten, Linnea Zimmerman, Courtland Robinson, Catherine Lee, Tenaw Bawoke, Shahd Osman and Jennifer Schlecht

Young lives disrupted: gender and well-being among adolescent Syrian refugees in Lebanon

The conflict in Syria that began in 2011 has resulted in the exodus of over 5 million Syrian refugees to neighbouring countries, with more than one million refugees currently registered by UNHCR in Lebanon. Wh...

Authors: Jocelyn DeJong, Farah Sbeity, Jennifer Schlecht, Manale Harfouche, Rouham Yamout, Fouad M. Fouad, Seema Manohar and Courtland Robinson

Examining the need & potential for biomedical engineering to strengthen health care delivery for displaced populations & victims of conflict

Conflict and the subsequent displacement of populations creates unique challenges in the delivery of quality health care to the affected population. Equitable access to quality care demands a multi-pronged str...

Authors: Devika Nadkarni, Imad Elhajj, Zaher Dawy, Hala Ghattas and Muhammad H. Zaman

Understanding the menstrual hygiene management challenges facing displaced girls and women: findings from qualitative assessments in Myanmar and Lebanon

There is a significant gap in empirical evidence on the menstrual hygiene management (MHM) challenges faced by adolescent girls and women in emergency contexts, and on appropriate humanitarian response approac...

Authors: Margaret L. Schmitt, David Clatworthy, Ruwan Ratnayake, Nicole Klaesener-Metzner, Elizabeth Roesch, Erin Wheeler and Marni Sommer

Mental health assessments in refugees and asylum seekers: evaluation of a tablet-assisted screening software

Mental health problems resulting from persecution and forced migration are very common among refugees and asylum seekers and evolve into a major public health challenge in hosting societies. Language barriers ...

Authors: Naser Morina, Simon M. Ewers, Sandra Passardi, Ulrich Schnyder, Christine Knaevelsrud, Julia Müller, Richard A. Bryant, Angela Nickerson and Matthis Schick

Non-communicable diseases in humanitarian settings: ten essential questions

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent the primary cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Specific attention needs to be given in fragile and crisis-affected contexts, where health systems have even m...

Authors: S. Aebischer Perone, E. Martinez, S. du Mortier, R. Rossi, M. Pahud, V. Urbaniak, F. Chappuis, O. Hagon, F. Jacquérioz Bausch and D. Beran

A review of factors affecting the transfer of sexual and reproductive health training into practice in low and lower-middle income country humanitarian settings

A lack of access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among displaced women and girls of reproductive age. Efforts to address this public health emergenc...

Authors: Kristen Beek, Angela Dawson and Anna Whelan

Understanding processes of risk and protection that shape the sexual and reproductive health of young women affected by conflict: the price of protection

It is assumed that knowing what puts young women at risk of poor sexual health outcomes and, in turn, what protects them against these outcomes, will enable greater targeted protection as well as help in desig...

Authors: Aisha Hutchinson, Philippa Waterhouse, Jane March-McDonald, Sarah Neal and Roger Ingham

Justification for a Nuclear Global Health Workforce: multidisciplinary analysis of risk, survivability & preparedness, with emphasis on the triage management of thermal burns

Major challenges and crises in global health will not be solved by health alone; requiring rather a multidisciplinary, evidence-based analytical approach to prevention, preparedness and response. One such pote...

Authors: Frederick M. Burkle Jr, Tom Potokar, James E. Gosney Jr and Cham Dallas

Cardiovascular disease risk and prevention amongst Syrian refugees: mixed methods study of Médecins Sans Frontières programme in Jordan

The growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) presented new challenges for medical humanitarian aid and little was known about primary health care approaches for these diseases in humanitarian respons...

Authors: Dylan R.J. Collins, Kiran Jobanputra, Thomas Frost, Shoaib Muhammed, Alison Ward, Abed Alrazzaq Shafei, Taissir Fardous, Sadeq Gabashneh and Carl Heneghan

A weak health response is increasing the risk of excess mortality as food crisis worsens in Somalia

Authors: Andrew Seal, Francesco Checchi, Nancy Balfour, Abdi-Rashid Haji Nur and Mohamed Jelle

High burden of malaria and anemia among tribal pregnant women in a chronic conflict corridor in India

With more than 200 million cases a year, malaria is an important global health concern, especially among pregnant women. The forested tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Chhattisgarh in India are aff...

Authors: Gustavo Corrêa, Mrinalini Das, Rama Kovelamudi, Nagendra Jaladi, Charlotte Pignon, Kalyan Vysyaraju, Usha Yedla, Vijya Laxmi, Pavani Vemula, Vijaya Gowthami, Hemant Sharma, Daniel Remartinez, Stobdan Kalon, Kirrily de Polnay, Martin De Smet and Petros Isaakidis

Low levels of viral suppression among refugees and host nationals accessing antiretroviral therapy in a Kenyan refugee camp

Refugees and host nationals who accessed antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a remote refugee camp in Kakuma, Kenya (2011–2013) were compared on outcome measures that included viral suppression and adherence to ART.

Authors: Joshua B. Mendelsohn, Paul Spiegel, Alison Grant, Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy, Marian Schilperoord, Natasha Larke, John Wagacha Burton, Jully A. Okonji, Clement Zeh, Bosco Muhindo, Ibrahim M. Mohammed, Irene N. Mukui, Njogu Patterson, Egbert Sondorp and David A. Ross

Family planning in refugee settings: findings and actions from a multi-country study

To address family planning for crisis-affected communities, in 2011 and 2012, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Women’s Refugee Commission undertook a multi-country assessment to docume...

Authors: Mihoko Tanabe, Anna Myers, Prem Bhandari, Nadine Cornier, Sathyanarayanan Doraiswamy and Sandra Krause

Retrospective mortality among refugees from the Central African Republic arriving in Chad, 2014

The Central African Republic has known long periods of instability. In 2014, following the fall of an interim government installed by the Séléka coalition, a series of violent reprisals occurred. These events ...

Authors: Matthew E. Coldiron, Thomas Roederer, Augusto E. Llosa, Malika Bouhenia, Sassou Madi, Laurent Sury, Michaël Neuman and Klaudia Porten

Measurement invariance of the Hopkins Symptoms Checklist: a novel multigroup alignment analytic approach to a large epidemiological sample across eight conflict-affected districts from a nation-wide survey in Sri Lanka

The alignment method, a novel psychometric approach, represents a more flexible procedure for establishing measurement invariance in geographically, ethnically, or linguistically diverse samples, especially in...

Authors: Alvin Kuowei Tay, Rohan Jayasuriya, Dinuk Jayasuriya and Derrick Silove

A crisis of protection and safe passage: violence experienced by migrants/refugees travelling along the Western Balkan corridor to Northern Europe

Pushed by ongoing conflicts and pulled by the desire for a better life, over one million migrants/refugees transited Balkan countries and arrived in Europe during 2015 and early 2016. To curb this influx, Euro...

Authors: Jovana Arsenijević, Erin Schillberg, Aurelie Ponthieu, Lucio Malvisi, Waeil A. Elrahman Ahmed, Stefano Argenziano, Federica Zamatto, Simon Burroughs, Natalie Severy, Christophe Hebting, Brice de Vingne, Anthony D. Harries and Rony Zachariah

Prevalence of non-communicable diseases and access to health care and medications among Yazidis and other minority groups displaced by ISIS into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

The increasing caseload of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in displaced populations poses new challenges for humanitarian agencies and host country governments in the provision of health care, diagnostics and...

Authors: Valeria Cetorelli, Gilbert Burnham and Nazar Shabila

Ethical considerations for children’s participation in data collection activities during humanitarian emergencies: A Delphi review

Children’s right to participate in data collection during emergencies has been widely recognized by humanitarian actors. However, participation in such activities can expose children to risk. Tensions have bee...

Authors: Cyril Bennouna, Hani Mansourian and Lindsay Stark

Rescue medical activities in the mediterranean migrant crisis

Authors: Favila Escobio, Maryse Etiennoul and Stephany Spindola

Contraceptive availability leads to increase in use in conflict-affected Democratic Republic of the Congo: evidence from cross-sectional cluster surveys, facility assessments and service statistics

Humanitarian assistance standards mandate specific attention to address the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of conflict-affected populations. Despite these internationally recognised standards, acce...

Authors: Sara E. Casey and Martin Tshipamba

Challenges to conducting epidemiology research in chronic conflict areas: examples from PURE- Palestine

Little has been written on the challenges of conducting research in regions or countries with chronic conflict and strife. In this paper we share our experiences in conducting a population based study of chron...

Authors: Rasha Khatib, Rita Giacaman, Umaiyeh Khammash and Salim Yusuf

A novel bio-psycho-social approach for rehabilitation of traumatized victims of torture and war in the post-conflict context: a pilot randomized controlled trial in Kosovo

Some evidence showed that multidisciplinary rehabilitation in Western countries is effective for treating war-related trauma, but it remains unclear whether this approach is applicable to civilians living in r...

Authors: Shr-Jie Wang, Ardiana Bytyçi, Selvi Izeti, Melita Kallaba, Feride Rushiti, Edith Montgomery and Jens Modvig

Evolution of policies on human resources for health: opportunities and constraints in four post-conflict and post-crisis settings

Few studies look at policy making in the health sector in the aftermath of a conflict or crisis and even fewer specifically focus on Human Resources for Health, which is a critical domain for health sector per...

Authors: Sophie Witter, Maria Paola Bertone, Yotamu Chirwa, Justine Namakula, Sovannarith So and Haja R. Wurie

Mental health and trauma in asylum seekers landing in Sicily in 2015: a descriptive study of neglected invisible wounds

In 2015, Italy was the second most common point of entry for asylum seekers into Europe after Greece. The vast majority embarked from war-torn Libya; 80,000 people claimed asylum that year. Their medical condi...

Authors: Anna Crepet, Francesco Rita, Anthony Reid, Wilma Van den Boogaard, Pina Deiana, Gaia Quaranta, Aurelia Barbieri, Francesco Bongiorno and Stefano Di Carlo

Implementation of Audio-Computer Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) among adolescent girls in humanitarian settings: feasibility, acceptability, and lessons learned

Audio-Computer Assisted Self- Interview (ACASI) is a method of data collection in which participants listen to pre-recorded questions through headphones and respond to questions by selecting their answers on a...

Authors: Kathryn Falb, Sophie Tanner, Khudejha Asghar, Samir Souidi, Stan Mierzwa, Asham Assazenew, Theresita Bakomere, Pamela Mallinga, Katie Robinette, Woinishet Tibebu and Lindsay Stark

Sexual violence-related pregnancies in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: a qualitative analysis of access to pregnancy termination services

Sexual violence has been prevalent throughout the armed conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Research on sexual violence-related pregnancies (SVRPs) and pregnancy termination in eastern DRC,...

Authors: Gillian Burkhardt, Jennifer Scott, Monica Adhiambo Onyango, Shada Rouhani, Sadia Haider, Ashley Greiner, Katherine Albutt, Michael VanRooyen and Susan Bartels

Does spending on refugees make a difference? A cross-sectional study of the association between refugee program spending and health outcomes in 70 sites in 17 countries

Numerous simultaneous complex humanitarian emergencies strain the ability of local governments and the international community to respond, underscoring the importance of cost-effective use of limited resources...

Authors: Timothy M Tan, Paul Spiegel, Christopher Haskew and P Gregg Greenough

Displaced populations due to humanitarian emergencies and its impact on global eradication and elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases

Populations affected by humanitarian emergencies may require unique strategies to ensure access to life-saving vaccines and attain sufficiently high population immunity to interrupt virus circulation. Vaccinat...

Authors: Eugene Lam, Michael Diaz, Allen Gidraf Kahindo Maina and Muireann Brennan

Nutritional situation among Syrian refugees hosted in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon: cross sectional surveys

Ongoing armed conflict in Syria has caused large scale displacement. Approximately half of the population of Syria have been displaced including the millions living as refugees in neighboring countries. We sou...

Authors: S. M. Moazzem Hossain, Eva Leidman, James Kingori, Abdullah Al Harun and Oleg O. Bilukha

Community based system dynamic as an approach for understanding and acting on messy problems: a case study for global mental health intervention in Afghanistan

Afghanistan lacks suitable specialized mental healthcare services despite high prevalence of severe mental health disorders which are aggravated by the conflict and numerous daily stressors. Recent studies hav...

Authors: Jean-Francois Trani, Ellis Ballard, Parul Bakhshi and Peter Hovmand

Prevalence, care-seeking, and health service utilization for non-communicable diseases among Syrian refugees and host communities in Lebanon

Given the large burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among both Syrian refugees and the host communities within which they are settled, humanitarian actors and the government of Lebanon face immense chal...

Authors: Shannon Doocy, Emily Lyles, Baptiste Hanquart and Michael Woodman

Differences in tobacco smoking prevalence and frequency between adolescent Palestine refugee and non-refugee populations in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank: cross-sectional analysis of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey

Evidence is conflicting as to the whether tobacco smoking prevalence is higher in refugee than non-refugee populations. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence and frequency of tobacco smoking in P...

Authors: Mohammed Jawad, Ali Khader and Christopher Millett

Why Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provides safe abortion care and what that involves

MSF responds to needs for the termination of pregnancy, including on request (TPR); it is part of the organization’s work aimed at reducing maternal mortality and suffering; and preventing unsafe abortions in ...

Authors: Catrin Schulte-Hillen, Nelly Staderini and Jean-François Saint-Sauveur

The peacebuilding potential of healthcare training programs

Global health professionals regularly conduct healthcare trainings, such as first aid courses, in disadvantaged communities across the world. Many of these communities lack healthcare infrastructure because of...

Authors: Kyle G. Ratner and Lindsay B. Katona

Mental health and psychosocial support for South Sudanese refugees in northern Uganda: a needs and resource assessment

Since December 2013, an armed conflict in South Sudan has resulted in the displacement of over 2.2 million people, more than 270,000 of whom are presently in refugee settlements located throughout Uganda. Exis...

Authors: Alex Adaku, James Okello, Blakeley Lowry, Jeremy C. Kane, Stephen Alderman, Seggane Musisi and Wietse A. Tol

Assessing the use of the neighborhood method to estimate the prevalence of child separation: a pilot in North Kivu, DRC

This article reports on the use of the ‘neighborhood method’ to measure the prevalence and basic characteristics of children who became separated from their parents or usual caregivers subsequent to an attack ...

Authors: Hani Mansourian, Beth L. Rubenstein, Craig Spencer, Makini Chisolm-Straker, Eva Noble, Anna Skeels, Chiara Ceriotti and Lindsay Stark

Mental health problems among conflict-affected adults in Grozny, Chechnya: a qualitative study

A decade of conflict in Chechnya destroyed infrastructure and resulted in widespread exposure to violence. Amidst substantial reconstruction, periodic violence has contributed to an ongoing atmosphere of insec...

Authors: Amanda J. Nguyen, Concetta Feo, Kyuri Idrisov, Giovanni Pintaldi, Annick Lenglet, Zalina Tsatsaeva, Paul Bolton and Judith Bass

Erratum to: Evaluation of a surgical service in the chronic phase of a refugee camp: an example from the Thai-Myanmar border

Authors: Chathika K. Weerasuriya, Saw Oo Tan, Lykourgos Christos Alexakis, Aung Kaung Set, Marcus J. Rijken, Paul Martyn, François Nosten and Rose McGready

Erratum to: Neonatal outcomes of Syrian refugees delivered in a tertiary hospital in Ankara, Turkey

Authors: Mehmet Büyüktiryaki, Fuat Emre Canpolat, Evrim Alyamaç Dizdar, Nilüfer Okur and Gülsüm Kadıoğlu Şimşek