Impact of major disease outbreaks in the third millennium on adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights in low and/or middle-income countries: a systematic scoping review protocol

Abstract

IntroductionSexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) of young people continue to present a high burden and remain underinvested. This is more so in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), where empirical evidence reveals disruption of SRHR maintenance, need for enhancement of programmes, resources and services during pandemics. Despite the importance of the subject, there is no published review yet combining recent disease outbreaks such as (H1N1/09, Zika, Ebola and SARS-COV-2) to assess their impact on adolescents and youth SRHR in LMICs.Methods and analysisWe will adopt a four-step search to reach the maximum possible number of studies. In the first step, we will carry out a limitedpreliminary search in databases for getting relevant keywords (appendix 1). Second, we will search in four databases: Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase and PsycINFO. The search would begin from the inception of the first major outbreak in 2009 (H1N1/09) up to the date of publication of the protocol in early 2022. We will search databases using related keywords, screen title & abstract and review full texts of the selected titles to arrive at the list of eligible studies. In the third stage, we will check their eligibility to the included article’s reference list. In the fourth stage, we will check the citations of included papers in phase 2 to complete our study selection. We will include all types of original studies and without any language restriction in our final synthesis. Our review results will be charted for each pandemic separately and include details pertaining to authors, year, country, region of the study, study design, participants (disaggregated by age and gender), purpose and report associated SRHR outcomes. The review will adhere to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guideline (PRISMA-ScR).Patient and public involvementPatients or public were not involved in this study.Ethics and disseminationEthical assessment is not required for this study. The results of the study will be presented in peer-reviewed publications and conferences on adolescent SRHR.

The potential risk components and prevention measures of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in Liberia: An in-depth interview with the health workers and stakeholders

“…Similar to the current study’s findings, Akbarialiabad et al ( 2022 ) discovered that mistrust of government or public health officials, as well as concerns about the spread of disease from healthcare facilities, were obstacles to healthcare-seeking behavior, early diagnosis, and timely disease prevention and control treatment. EVD can be passed from one person to another through bodily fluid contact with a sick or deceased person (International Ebola Response Team et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Public health officials did everything in their power to address the needs of the public, but they were either unable or did not have the resources to halt the disease’s spread completely. Healthcare professionals, community leaders, and legislators chastised global health programs because there was no recognized remedy or documented mechanism or strategy for controlling the ailment (Akbarialiabad et al, 2022 ). As fatalities increased, panic spread throughout the community as their ignorance of the unknown disease that killed people increased and instilled fear.…”