2021/02/22 by Amy S. Patterson, Emmanuel Dele Balogun · 1 voice · 4 citations
Medicine · Social Sciences · #Global Security and Public Health #Religion, Society, and Development #Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.1017/asr.2020.122
openalex publication_date 2021/02/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Abstract Although the COVID-19 pandemic had claimed over one million lives globally by late 2020, Africa had avoided a massive outbreak. Patterson and Balogun analyze pandemic responses by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and various states collaborating with civil society. They argue that responses display forms of agency rooted in contextually relevant expertise, pan-African solidarity, and lessons learned about health messaging and community mobilization from previous health crises. Yet collaboration has not always been harmonious, as actors have adopted various approaches in their interactions with global health institutions and civil society partnerships, and they have actively debated the use of traditional medicine as a COVID-19 treatment.