Community engagement in Ebola outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa and implications for COVID-19 control: A scoping review

There is a paucity of scoping data on the specific roles community engagement played in preventing and managing the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in sub-Saharan Africa. We assessed the role, benefits, and mechanisms of community engagement to understand its effect on EVD case detection, survival, and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The implications for COVID-19 prevention and control were also highlighted.

We searched for articles between 2010 and 2020 in the MEDLINE and Embase databases. The study types included were randomized trials, quasiexperimental studies, observational studies, case series, and reports.

A total of 903 records were identified for screening. A total of 216 articles met the review criteria, 103 were initially selected, and 44 were included in the final review. Our findings show that effective community involvement during the EVD outbreak depended on the survival rates, testimonials of survivors, risk perception, and the inclusion of community leaders. Community-based interventions improved knowledge and attitudes, case findings, isolation efforts, and treatment uptake.

Although the studies included in this review were of highly variable quality, findings from this review may provide lessons for the role of community engagement in the COVID-19 pandemic's prevention and control in sub-Saharan Africa.