Abstract
Background: Nigeria experienced her first outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the second-half of 2014. Since its first occurrence in Zaire and Sudan in 1976, most studies on EVD were clinically based and were carried out using biomedical approaches. No empirical social science/behavioural-oriented study exists on the deadly EVD in Nigeria.
Objective: This study examined the traditional healers’ perception and attitude towards Ebola virus disease in Ibadan metropolis.
Study design: Purposive sampling method was used to select a total of 23 traditional healers who specialized in different areas of traditional medicine (such as herbs selling, faith healing, divination, and general practice). Indepth interview (IDI) method was employed in the study.
Results: The study found some misconceptions about the disease while the dominant attitude among the healers was that of avoidance and caution on safety.
Conclusion: The healers’ interpretations of the disease rested on the culture and individual experiences. There is thus a need to take the local cultural perceptions of the Ebola Virus Disease into consideration when controlling the disease in the future.
Keywords: Ebola virus disease, traditional healers, perception, attitude, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Résumé
Contexte: Le Nigeria a connu sa première épidémie de la maladie du virus Ebola (EVD) dans la deuxième moitié de 2014. Depuis sa première apparition au Zaïre et au Soudan en 1976, la plupart des études sur EVD étaient fondées cliniquement et ont été effectuées en utilisant des approches biomédicales. Aucune étude empirique orientée vers la science sociale / étude comportementale existe sur l’EVD mortelle au Nigeria.
Objectif: Cette étude a examiné la perception et l’attitude des guérisseurs traditionnels envers la maladie du virus Ebola dans la métropole d’Ibadan.Conception de l’étude: Une méthode d’échantillonnage raisonné a été utilisée pour sélectionner un total de 23 guérisseurs traditionnels spécialisés dans différents domaines de la médecine traditionnelle (tels que la vente des herbes, guérison par la foi, la divination, et la pratique générale). La méthode d’entrevue en profondeur (IDI) a été utilisée dans l’étude.
Résultats: L’étude a révélé certaines idées fausses au sujet de la maladie tandis que l’attitude dominante parmi les guérisseurs était celle de l’évitement et la prudence en matière de sécurité.
Conclusion: Les interprétations des guérisseurs au sujet de la maladie reposaient sur la culture et les expériences individuelles. Il est donc nécessaire de prendre en considération les perceptions culturelles locales de la Maladie du virus Ebola lors du contrôle de la maladie à l’avenir.
Mots-clés: maladie du virus Ebola, guérisseurs traditionnels, perception, attitude, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Correspondence: Mrs. Kafayat Aminu, Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, E-mail: bolkaf@yahoo.com
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