Faith-based healthcare in Africa: a special issue

A s a focus of global health activity, the continent of Africa has long been a source of interest and study.Nineteenth and twentieth century missionaries and their families succumbed in prodigious numbers to an unfamiliar infectious disease environment which continues to offer health challenges.HIV afflicted predictable groups in Europe and North America, but continues to be a general scourge in Africa.At the same time, Africa's global health circumstances have provided opportunities for social, scientific, and political innovation and discovery.This special issue highlights research which addresses the health concerns of the continent and to show how and where continued collaboration with European and North American colleagues might still be fruitful.A guest editorial by Nkatha Njeru, director of the Africa Christian Health Association Platform speaks of the value of localizing aid through partnerships in order to obtain equitable healthcare access.A second guest editorial by Quentin Wodon reports on the quantity of health facilities run by the Catholic Church in Africa and globally, trends over time, and emerging research opportunities for the continent.The centerpiece of the issue is the section of original articles which includes seven studies.Two companion studies under the African Christian Health Associations Platform CoV FAB project provide information on the very different experience of SARS CoV 2 responses in Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.One by Kinyoki and colleagues inquired about health status and perceptions of risk of COVID-19.The other by Ssentongo and colleagues investigated vaccine acceptance in the two countries.Tafesse and Chalkley compared the clinical knowledge of staff at faith-based institutions with that of staff at government institutions in Malawi.Differences were found in only two of the eight clinical quality measures, offering reassurance, but also