GH21-004, COVID-19 and related public health threats in populations affected by crises: a multi-disciplinary, collaborative research programme

Project summary / abstract In response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Notice of Funding Opportunity to conduct research among crisis-affected and displaced populations in the context of COVID-19, we hereby propose a five- year programme of research and capacity strengthening , focussed on four key crisis-affected countries (the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan), but with flexibility to conduct data collection in new emergencies and other settings where existing collaborations facilitate this. We present below a set of activities and studies organised along three aims: Aim 1: Establish or strengthen country-based, locally-led, multi-disciplinary humanitarian public health research units in the four key countries. Aim 2: Explore novel cross-cutting methods based on community-led surveillance and data science methods . Aim 3: Generate thematic evidence on the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 and other emergent public health threats, as per the following scientific objectives: 1. Generate improved all-cause and cause-specific 2. Quantify of SARS-CoV-2 and other epidemic infections. 3. Explore changes to behaviours, improve monitoring of hygiene behaviours and evaluate mortality estimates. transmission hygiene alternative behaviour change interventions. 4. Quantify and describe COVID-19’s secondary impacts on 5. Quantify COVID-19’s impacts on care models. sexual and reproductive health . non-communicable disease burden and mental health and test novel These activities will be undertaken by a consortium of academic institutions (the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK; the Université Catholique de Bukavu, DRC; SIMAD University, Mogadishu, Somalia; Imperial College London) and (the Bridge Network Organisation, South Sudan; the Sudan Youth Peer Network and Adeela for Art and Culture, Sudan). Our partnership is committed to co- production principles and will adopt a decolonial approach to research and humanitarian action. Most team members are former humanitarian workers, and all conduct the majority or all of their research work in or on crisis-affected populations. civil society actors