Responding to Epidemics and Pandemics

The surging pandemic of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 disease has caught the world off-guard.  To societies lulled by scientific hubris, to cultures believing that humans have triumphed over nature, has come in a few weeks an unanticipated, unpredicted storm from nature itself.  It is a storm that threatens both life and economic wellbeing for millions of people, particularly the most vulnerable and countries with fragile health systems.  For Christians who believe that there is a reality beyond science, beyond nature and even beyond this life, it is an unprecedented opportunity for service, for sacrifice and for understanding. 

The Christian Journal for Global Health has previously published articles on the role of Christians responding to Ebola outbreaks and those who care for people with HIV/AIDS.  We commend The End of Epidemics: The Looming Threat to Humanity and How to Stop It presciently published in 2018 by our colleague Jonathan Quick.  But now there is a further opportunity to contribute to the literature, expand knowledge, and prompt innovative and scaled measures to address the current and future infectious disease outbreaks.

Therefore, we call for papers to address the following such as:

  • The biblical ethics of selfless healthcare engagement to those infected, and the health effects of economic lockdown decisions on vulnerable global populations.
  • Novel local efforts to limit spread of infection in the community and nosocomial transmission and to protect healthcare workers.
  • Operational approaches to scaling up evidence-based public health measures through local faith communities and faith-based organizations.
  • Case studies on addressing supply-chain challenges and partnerships in low resource settings for both personal protective equipment, diagnostic and therapeutic resources.
  • Historical analysis of the church’s response to previous epidemics.
  • Case reports on COVID-19 cases.
  • Systematic literature reviews on the impact of faith-based approaches to reduce the impact of epidemics.
  • Case studies on Christian ethical approaches to triage in low-resource settings, and reducing stigma.

Deadline for submissions on this topic is 31 August 2020. More urgent pieces for Special April Supplement due by 14 April 2020. Submissions on any other topic are always welcome any time.

References

Anderson RM, Heesterbeek H, Klinkenberg D, and Déirdre Hollingsworth T. How Will Country-based Mitigation Measures Influence the Course of the COVID-19 Epidemic? Lancet 395 (10228), 09 March 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30567-5

Ayebare RR, Flick R, Okware S, Bodo B, Lamorde M, Adoption of COVID-19 triage strategies for low-income settings. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. March 11, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30114-4

CDC. Interim Guidance for Administrators and Leaders of Community- and Faith-Based Organizations to Plan, Prepare, and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). 21 March 2020. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/guidance-community-faith-organizations.html

Grills N. COVID-19 containment, poverty and population health. InSight+ 11; 23 March 2020. Available from: https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2020/11/covid-19-containment-poverty-and-population-health/

Moore M Gelfeld B Okunogbe A Paul C. Identifying future disease hot spots: Infectious Disease Vulnerability Index. Rand Health Q. 2017; 6: 5. PMC5568150.

Quick J. The end of epidemics. St. Martin Press, 2018. https://www.endofepidemics.com/

Zhang J Zhou L Yang Y Peng W Wang W Chen X. Therapeutic and triage strategies for 2019 novel coronavirus disease in fever clinics. Lancet Respir Med. 2020; 8: e11-e12. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30071-0