Articles

Shortcomings in addressing attacks on health care

Authors: Dilshad Jaff

Healthcare needs and health service utilization by Syrian refugee women in Toronto

Access to healthcare is an important part of the (re)settlement process for Syrian refugees in Canada. There is growing concern about the healthcare needs of the 54,560 Syrian refugees who were admitted to Can...

Authors: Sepali Guruge, Souraya Sidani, Vathsala Illesinghe, Rania Younes, Huda Bukhari, Jason Altenberg, Meb Rashid and Suzanne Fredericks

What influenced provision of non-communicable disease healthcare in the Syrian conflict, from policy to implementation? A qualitative study

There has been increasing focus on tackling the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) in crisis settings. The complex and protracted crisis in Syria is unfolding against a background of increasing ...

Authors: Sylvia Garry, Francesco Checchi and Beniamino Cislaghi

Are public hospitals reforming efficiently in West Bank?

The structure, function, and capacity of the health care system in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) had been largely shaped by the complex political history of the country. Since the establishment of...

Authors: Wasim I. M. Sultan and José Crispim

Bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed literature on Syrian refugees and displaced people (2011–2017)

The Syrian conflict has created the worst humanitarian crisis of our time with approximately half of Syria’s pre-war population killed or forced to flee their homes. The current study aimed to analyze peer-rev...

Authors: Waleed M. Sweileh

SMS-based smartphone application for disease surveillance has doubled completeness and timeliness in a limited-resource setting – evaluation of a 15-week pilot program in Central African Republic (CAR)

It is a challenge in low-resource settings to ensure the availability of complete, timely disease surveillance information. Smartphone applications (apps) have the potential to enhance surveillance data transm...

Authors: Ziad El-Khatib, Maya Shah, Samuel N Zallappa, Pierre Nabeth, José Guerra, Casimir T Manengu, Michel Yao, Aline Philibert, Lazare Massina, Claes-Philip Staiger, Raphael Mbailao, Jean-Pierre Kouli, Hippolyte Mboma, Geraldine Duc, Dago Inagbe, Alpha Boubaca Barry…

Health status of returning refugees, internally displaced persons, and the host community in a post-conflict district in northern Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional survey

Although the adverse impacts of conflict-driven displacement on health are well-documented, less is known about how health status and associated risk factors differ according to displacement experience. This s...

Authors: Rachel Burns, Kolitha Wickramage, Anwar Musah, Chesmal Siriwardhana and Francesco Checchi

Mental health and psychosocial problems among conflict-affected children in Kachin State, Myanmar: a qualitative study

In Kachin State, Myanmar, collapse of a ceasefire in 2011 has resulted in widespread exposure to conflict and ongoing internal displacement. Such exposures are known risk factors for mental health and psychoso...

Authors: Catherine Lee, Amanda J. Nguyen, Tara Russell, Yasmina Aules and Paul Bolton

A cross-sectional assessment of diabetes self-management, education and support needs of Syrian refugee patients living with diabetes in Bekaa Valley Lebanon

Patients with diabetes require knowledge and skills to self-manage their disease, a challenging aspect of treatment that is difficult to address in humanitarian settings. Due to the lack of literature and expe...

Authors: James A. Elliott, Debashish Das, Philippe Cavailler, Fabien Schneider, Maya Shah, Annette Ravaud, Maria Lightowler and Philippa Boulle

"I prefer dying fast than dying slowly", how institutional abuse worsens the mental health of stranded Syrian, Afghan and Congolese migrants on Lesbos island following the implementation of EU-Turkey deal

In 2015 and early 2016, close to 1 million migrants transited through Greece, on their way to Western Europe. In early 2016, the closure of the “Balkan-route” and the EU/Turkey-deal led to a drastic reduction ...

Authors: Christos Eleftherakos, Wilma van den Boogaard, Declan Barry, Nathalie Severy, Ioanna Kotsioni and Louise Roland-Gosselin

Population trends related to injury from explosive munitions in Lao PDR (1964–2008): a retrospective analysis

The presence of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) including unexploded ordnance (UXO) poses a serious public health risk for populations living in conflict-affected and contaminated areas. Current ...

Authors: Stacey E. Pizzino, Samuel Hundessa, Vinu Verghis, Mark Griffin and Jo Durham

Facilitators and barriers in implementing the Minimum Initial Services Package (MISP) for reproductive health in Nepal post-earthquake

Following the Nepal earthquake in April 2015, UNFPA estimated that 1.4 million women of reproductive age were affected, with approximately 93,000 pregnant and 28,000 at risk of sexual violence. A set of priori...

Authors: Anna Myers, Samira Sami, Monica Adhiambo Onyango, Hari Karki, Rosilawati Anggraini and Sandra Krause

Adaptation and testing of an assessment for mental health and alcohol use problems among conflict-affected adults in Ukraine

In Ukraine, a large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and veterans experience social and psychological problems as a result of the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Our purpose was to de...

Authors: S. Benjamin Doty, Emily E. Haroz, Namrita S. Singh, Sergiy Bogdanov, Judith K. Bass, Laura K. Murray, Karis L. Callaway and Paul A. Bolton

Armed conflict, alcohol misuse, decision-making, and intimate partner violence among women in Northeastern Uganda: a population level study

Relations among and interactions between exposure to armed conflict, alcohol misuse, low socioeconomic status, gender (in)equitable decision-making, and intimate partner violence (IPV) represent serious global...

Authors: Jennifer J. Mootz, Florence Kyoheirwe Muhanguzi, Pavel Panko, Patrick Onyango Mangen, Milton L. Wainberg, Ilana Pinsky and Kaveh Khoshnood

Living in Mosul during the time of ISIS and the military liberation: results from a 40-cluster household survey

In June 2014, an estimated 1500 fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) seized control of Mosul, Iraq’s second city. Although many residents fled, others stayed behind, enduring the restrictive ...

Authors: R. Lafta, V. Cetorelli and G. Burnham

Barriers to cardiovascular disease secondary prevention care in the West Bank, Palestine – a health professional perspective

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) - including cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer and diabetes - have become a significant global burden on health. Particularly concerning are CVD rates, causing approximately ...

Authors: Jane Collier and Hanna Kienzler

Tuberculosis contact-tracing among Syrian refugee populations: lessons from Jordan

In response to the influx of displaced Syrians since 2011, the Jordanian National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) implemented a specific Tuberculosis (TB) reduction strategy, including contact-tracing (CT). Contact...

Authors: Edouard Hosten, Mandana Mehta, Emmanuel Andre, Khaled Abu Rumman and Dimitri Van der Linden

Prevalence of non-communicable diseases and access to care among non-camp Syrian refugees in northern Jordan

Tackling the high non-communicable disease (NCD) burden among Syrian refugees poses a challenge to humanitarian actors and host countries. Current response priorities are the identification and integration of ...

Authors: Manuela Rehr, Muhammad Shoaib, Sara Ellithy, Suhib Okour, Cono Ariti, Idriss Ait-Bouziad, Paul van den Bosch, Anais Deprade, Mohammad Altarawneh, Abdel Shafei, Sadeq Gabashneh and Annick Lenglet

Small and light arms violence reduction as a public health measure: the case of Libya

The conflict environment in Libya is characterized by continued pervasive insecurity amidst the widespread availability of small arms and light weapons (SALW). After the First Civil War, armed brigades took th...

Authors: Gemma Bowsher, Patrick Bogue, Preeti Patel, Peter Boyle and Richard Sullivan

Provision and continuation of antiretroviral therapy during acute conflict: the experience of MSF in Central African Republic and Yemen

Unstable settings present challenges for the effective provision of antiretroviral treatment (ART). In this paper, we summarize the experience and results of providing ART and implementing contingency plans du...

Authors: Cecilia Ferreyra, Daniel O’Brien, Beatriz Alonso, Abdulbasset Al-Zomour and Nathan Ford

Performance-based financing in three humanitarian settings: principles and pragmatism

Performance based financing (PBF) has been increasingly implemented across low and middle-income countries, including in fragile and humanitarian settings, which present specific features likely to require ada...

Authors: Maria Paola Bertone, Eelco Jacobs, Jurrien Toonen, Ngozi Akwataghibe and Sophie Witter

Setting priorities for humanitarian water, sanitation and hygiene research: a meeting report

Recent systematic reviews have highlighted a paucity of rigorous evidence to guide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions in humanitarian crises. In June 2017, the Research for Health in Humanitari...

Authors: Lauren D’Mello-Guyett, Travis Yates, Andy Bastable, Maysoon Dahab, Claudio Deola, Caetano Dorea, Robert Dreibelbis, Timothy Grieve, Thomas Handzel, Anne Harmer, Daniele Lantagne, Peter Maes, Melissa Opryszko, Sarah Palmer-Felgate, Brian Reed, Rafael Van Den Bergh…

“The needs have clearly evolved as time has gone on.”: A qualitative study to explore stakeholders’ perspectives on the health needs of Syrian refugees in Greece following the 2016 European Union-Turkey agreement

By 2017, more than 500,000 Syrian refugees had passed through Greece seeking safety and asylum. Understanding how their health needs evolved over the refugee crisis in Greece and in relation to changing migrat...

Authors: Rebecca Hémono, Bridget Relyea, Jennifer Scott, Sinan Khaddaj, Angeliki Douka and Alison Wringe

A scoping review of the associations between mental health and factors related to HIV acquisition and disease progression in conflict-affected populations

The association between poor mental health and factors related to HIV acquisition and disease progression (also referred to as HIV-related factors) may be stronger among conflict-affected populations given ele...

Authors: Erica Koegler and Caitlin E. Kennedy

Wishful thinking versus operational commitment: is the international guidance on priority sexual and reproductive health interventions in humanitarian settings becoming unrealistic?

Twenty-one years ago, a global consortium of like-minded institutions designed the landmark Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) to guide national and international h...

Authors: Nguyen Toan Tran and Catrin Schulte-Hillen

A factor analytic investigation of DSM-5 PTSD symptoms in a culturally diverse sample of refugees resettled in Australia

Refugees and asylum-seekers are often exposed to multiple types of potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and report elevated rates of psychological disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cons...

Authors: Philippa Specker, Belinda J. Liddell, Yulisha Byrow, Richard A. Bryant and Angela Nickerson

Conflict and tuberculosis in Sudan: a 10-year review of the National Tuberculosis Programme, 2004-2014

Sudan is a fragile developing country, with a low expenditure on health. It has been subjected to ongoing conflicts ever since 1956, with the Darfur crisis peaking in 2004. The conflict, in combination with th...

Authors: Sara A. Hassanain, Jeffrey K. Edwards, Emilie Venables, Engy Ali, Khadiga Adam, Hafiz Hussien and Asma Elsony

Using digital health to enable ethical health research in conflict and other humanitarian settings

Conducting research in a humanitarian setting requires quantifiable quality measures to ensure ethical study conduct. Digital health technologies are proven to improve research study quality and efficacy via a...

Authors: Eric D. Perakslis

Mechanisms of change for interventions aimed at improving the wellbeing, mental health and resilience of children and adolescents affected by war and armed conflict: a systematic review of reviews

Despite increasing research and clinical interest in delivering psychosocial interventions for children affected by war, little research has been conducted on the underlying mechanisms of change associated wit...

Authors: Tania Josiane Bosqui and Bassam Marshoud

Review of attacks on health care facilities in six conflicts of the past three decades

In the ongoing conflicts of Syria and Yemen, there have been widespread reports of attacks on health care facilities and personnel. Tabulated evidence does suggest hospital bombings in Syria and Yemen are far ...

Authors: Carolyn Briody, Leonard Rubenstein, Les Roberts, Eamon Penney, William Keenan and Jeffrey Horbar

Water, sanitation, and hygiene access in southern Syria: analysis of survey data and recommendations for response

Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are immediate priorities for human survival and dignity in emergencies. In 2010, > 90% of Syrians had access to improved drinking water. In 2011, armed conflict began and ...

Authors: Mustafa Sikder, Umar Daraz, Daniele Lantagne and Roberto Saltori

Epidemiological findings of major chemical attacks in the Syrian war are consistent with civilian targeting: a short report

Evidence of use of toxic gas chemical weapons in the Syrian war has been reported by governmental and non-governmental international organizations since the war started in March 2011. To date, the profiles of ...

Authors: Jose M. Rodriguez-Llanes, Debarati Guha-Sapir, Benjamin-Samuel Schlüter and Madelyn Hsiao-Rei Hicks

Notes from the field: a case of hepatic failure and reflections on current status of healthcare of Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Recent trends and research suggest health conditions of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon are deteriorating. The following case study highlights some of the problems that refugees encounter seeking health care se...

Authors: Salim M. Saiyed, John Kahler and Mutaz Kalabani

Risk factors for vitamin A and D deficiencies among children under-five in the state of Palestine

Vitamin A and D are essential for the proper growth and development of a child. Due to the complex political circumstances in the state of Palestine, research on micronutrient deficiency is scarce.

Authors: Aeysha Bushra Chaudhry, Shakoor Hajat, Najwa Rizkallah and Ala’a Abu-Rub

The new WHO decision-making framework on vaccine use in acute humanitarian emergencies: MSF experience in Minkaman, South Sudan

The main causes of death during population movements can be prevented by addressing the population’s basic needs. In 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a framework for decision making to help pri...

Authors: Monica Rull, Sophie Masson, Nicolas Peyraud, Marco Simonelli, Alexandre Ventura, Claire Dorion, Francisco J. Luquero, Florent Uzzeni and Iza Cigleneki

Monitoring and evaluation of mental health and psychosocial support programs in humanitarian settings: a scoping review of terminology and focus

Monitoring and evaluation of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programs is critical to facilitating learning and providing accountability to stakeholders. As part of an inter-agency effort to deve...

Authors: Jura L. Augustinavicius, M. Claire Greene, Daniel P. Lakin and Wietse A. Tol

A qualitative approach to understand antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence for refugees living in Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda

Refugees living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa suffer unique hardships that may increase their vulnerability to interruptions in antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Authors: Kelli N. O’Laughlin, Shada A. Rouhani, Julius Kasozi, Kelsy E. Greenwald, Nicholas R. Perkons, Zikama M. Faustin, Ingrid V. Bassett and Norma C. Ware

Risk factors for unsafe behaviors toward grenades among rural populations affected by explosive devices in Colombia

Following decades of armed conflict, Colombia remains highly affected by explosive device (ED) contamination, especially in rural areas. Many victims are injured by EDs despite knowing their dangers. Determini...

Authors: Andrew T. Boyd, Kristin Becknell, Steven Russell, Curtis Blanton, Susan T. Cookson, Oleg O. Bilukha and Mark Anderson

Reflections from the Lebanese field: “First, heal thyself”

Humanitarian aid workers caring for Syrian refugees face major stressors as they attend to refugees’ needs on the field. Without adequate psychosocial support, evidence has shown that fieldworkers experience h...

Authors: Zeina Chemali, Hannah Smati, Kelsey Johnson, Christina P. C. Borba and Gregory L. Fricchione

Responding to chemical weapons violations in Syria: legal, health, and humanitarian recommendations

The repeated use of prohibited chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict poses serious health, humanitarian, and security threats to civilians, healthcare personnel, and first responders. Moreover, the use of ch...

Authors: Julia Brooks, Timothy B. Erickson, Stephanie Kayden, Raul Ruiz, Stephen Wilkinson and Frederick M. Burkle Jr

The impact of Cognitive Processing Therapy on stigma among survivors of sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: results from a cluster randomized controlled trial

Sexual violence is associated with a multitude of poor physical, emotional, and social outcomes. Despite reports of stigma by sexual violence survivors, limited evidence exists on effective strategies to reduc...

Authors: S. M. Murray, J. Augustinavicius, D. Kaysen, D. Rao, L. K. Murray, K. Wachter, J. Annan, K. Falb, P. Bolton and J. K. Bass

Local constructions of gender-based violence amongst IDPs in northern Uganda: analysis of archival data collected using a gender- and age-segmented participatory ranking methodology

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a significant problem in conflict-affected settings. Understanding local constructions of such violence is crucial to developing preventive and responsive interventions to addres...

Authors: Alastair Ager, Carolyn Bancroft, Elizabeth Berger and Lindsay Stark

Evaluating the communities care program: best practice for rigorous research to evaluate gender based violence prevention and response programs in humanitarian settings

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a significant issue for women and girls in humanitarian settings. Innovative primary prevention programs are being developed and implemented with existing response programs to ch...

Authors: N. Glass, N. Perrin, A. Clough, A. Desgroppes, F. N. Kaburu, J. Melton, A. Rink, S. Read-Hamilton and M. Marsh

Differences between the antibiotic prescribing pattern of newly arrived refugees in Germany and the German population

The number of refugees arriving in Europe increased dramatically in 2015, challenging the German health system. Amongst others, the treatment of infectious diseases is an important topic in refugee healthcare....

Authors: Fabian Kahl and Thomas Kühlein

The impact of the Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast Nigeria on childhood wasting: a double-difference study

This research examines the relationship between violent conflict and childhood wasting in Northeast Nigeria, where residents have been subjected to fighting between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram - an ...

Authors: Gillian Dunn

Provision of emergency obstetric care at secondary level in a conflict setting in a rural area of Afghanistan – is the hospital fulfilling its role?

Provision of Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC) reduces maternal mortality and should include three components: Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (BEmONC) offered at primary care level, Co...

Authors: Daphne Lagrou, Rony Zachariah, Karen Bissell, Catherine Van Overloop, Masood Nasim, Hamsaya Nikyar Wagma, Shafiqa Kakar, Séverine Caluwaerts, Eva De Plecker, Renzo Fricke and Rafael Van den Bergh

The role of public health information in assistance to populations living in opposition and contested areas of Syria, 2012–2014

The Syrian armed conflict is the worst humanitarian tragedy this century. With approximately 470,000 deaths and more than 13 million people displaced, the conflict continues to have a devastating impact on the...

Authors: Emma Diggle, Wilhelmina Welsch, Richard Sullivan, Gerbrand Alkema, Abdihamid Warsame, Mais Wafai, Mohammed Jasem, Abdulkarim Ekzayez, Rachael Cummings and Preeti Patel

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