Cultural Attitudes Complicate Ebola Treatment

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Immigration Culture
Crave for the Wild Meat
The Superstitious Population
African Herbal Treatments
Widespread Ignorance about Hospitalization
Recommendations
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Ebola is currently the deadliest virus that has sent healthcare providers into a panic mood as they are still seeking for an appropriate cure for the illness. Torpiano and Pace (2014) state that regardless of various worldwide efforts tailored towards deterring the spread of the infection, the cultural attitudes of the West Africans continue to complicate the treatment of Ebola. Despite that fact that the efforts to combat the spread of the Ebola infection have intensified, questions about mitigating the cultural issues of the West Africans continue to emerge (Tambo, Ugwu, & Ngogang, 2014). Fundamental to such dilemmas, this essay analyzes the manner in which the cultural attitudes of the West Africans complicate the treatment of Ebola.

The Immigration Culture

The outbreak Ebola in the West African countries may have persisted because of the quick transmission of the virus. Perhaps the immigration behavior of the West Africans stands out as a unique challenge and a very complex issue for the health care officials to curb (Kucharski, 2014). Currently, the most successful remedy against the Ebola outbreak is the protection of the uninfected people through quarantine of the infected individuals. The mass migration behavior of the West Africans is presenting a looming danger to the successful mitigation of the outbreak of Ebola (Tambo et al., 2014). As doctors have placed essential precautions against the disease, the West Africans are contemptuous about the immigration cautions.

Crave for the Wild Meat

Scientists have associated the origin of the Ebola virus with some renowned fruit bats and monkeys, which are still cultural sources of bush meat for the West Africans (Kucharski, 2014). Health care experts consider fruit bats and monkeys, as the primary hosts and transmitters of the Ebola virus. Human beings contract Ebola through blood or body fluids of these infected wild mammals and transmit the infection to the vast human population. The West African communities have remained reluctant to abandon the behavior of consuming wild meat from the fruit bats and monkeys (Torpiano & Pace, 2014). Such rigid cultural norms promote the spread and transmission of the Ebola virus.

The Superstitious Population

The scientific reality behind the origin and transmission of the Ebola virus is increasingly becoming complex for the civilians to comprehend because certain cultural notions seem to hamper the sensitization campaigns aimed towards the control of the Ebola infection. According to Kucharski (2014), while scientists have identified the consumption of wild meat from the fruit bats and monkeys and a close physical contact with the infected persons as the predisposing factors of contracting the Ebola infection, some superstitions are misleading. Kucharski (2014) states that the West Africans are relying on the ritualistic or religious beliefs that are full of the West African cultural norms, which make the people stubborn against the scientific evidence about the contraction and the spread of Ebola.

African Herbal Treatments

At the present, the most relied upon scientists from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have not publicly announced any proven vaccine or medicine that can cure the Ebola virus completely (Tambo et al., 2014). The West Africans are often reluctant to visit hospitals to seek medical care even when they contract the infection and identify the symptoms. Most of the West African communities depend mostly on the African conventional treatment methods such as herbal treatments that use antiviral herbal remedies to treat Ebola (Kucharski, 2014). The reliance of the West Africans on herbal medications to treat the epidemic Ebola is posing a threat to the effective control and treatment of the virus.

Widespread Ignorance about Hospitalization

Several West Africans have believed in the prevailing spiritual, ritual, and herbal theories concerning the historical development, the spread, and the medication of Ebola. Since the West Africans have started to believe that Ebola is a universal curse from God, about 75 percent of nationals from the affected nations ignore hospitalization (Tambo et al., 2014). Coupled with beliefs about the association of Ebola with curses and satanic attacks, civilians have demonstrated a widespread ignorance about hospitalization. The infected or suspicious people fear the continuing stigmatization, isolation, and trepidation that the established victims have witnessed (Tambo et al., 2014). These individuals ignore hospitalization and avoid medication due to the cultural stereotypes of the Ebola infection.

Recommendations

Immigration policy- the affected West African countries should design and implement strict internal immigration policies that would avert careless spread of the epidemic Ebola.
Widespread medical sensitization– the West African governments should consider supporting sensitization programs to help the conformist communities and citizens to understand the spread and contraction of Ebola.
Ban against the wild meat- the governments of the affected countries should increase prohibitions against the consumption of bush meat to mitigate the continued primary transmission of Ebola from the wild mammals to humans.
Scientific indulgence– to reduce the religious and cultural notions about Ebola, the West African governments should seek a scientific indulgence to educate the people about the virus.

Conclusion

The West Africans are still struggling to understand the origin and spread of the deadly Ebola virus, even as the religious and cultural beliefs continue to affect the effective sensitization about the contraction and spread of this epidemic. To reduce the religious and cultural misconceptions about the Ebola infection, the West African nations should consider some remedies. They should consider enhancing their internal immigration policies, support widespread medical sensitizations, ban the bust meat consumptions, and seek scientific indulgences to help the conservative people understand the scientific proofs about the transmission and spread of Ebola.

References

Kucharski, A. (2014). Containing Ebola virus infection in West Africa. Euro surveillance, 19(36), 1-3.

Tambo, E., Ugwu, E., & Ngogang, J. (2014). Need of surveillance response systems to combat Ebola outbreaks and other emerging infectious diseases in African countries. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 3(29), 1-7.

Torpiano, P., & Pace, D. (2014). Ebola: too far or so close? Malta Medical Journal, 26(3), 32-40.

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