Ebola Outbreak: Not Due to Witchcraft

Here is the most recent WHO update on the Ebola outbreak in Uganda; as of November 28 there were 6 confirmed and 1 probable case (case numbers have been adjusted from those previously reported due to testing coming back negative from several patients). There have been 4 deaths. 

One of the key challenges with managing the outbreak has been the belief in some communities that deaths have been due to witchcraft and not Ebola. This reminds me of a poster I saw in a clinic in rural Kenya back in 2001: 

http://ihm.nlm.nih.gov/images/C02494

In many traditional African cultures disease is seen as having a supernatural origin or component, and  witchcraft is believed to play a major role in disease acquisition. Such beliefs can compromise disease prevention efforts. Traditional beliefs wherein HIV is considered to be spread via witchcraft have been associated with higher risk sexual activity (such as not wearing condoms), for example. 

At an herbal medicine shop, South Africa (author's photo)

The WHO report notes working with local religious leaders and traditional healers to facilitate good infection control practices that will help halt the spread of Ebola. Understanding how disease is perceived by a given community and close integration with local health leaders is critical in addressing any health issue, especially one as deadly as Ebola. 

Update on Ebola Outbreak in Uganda




wikipedia.org

 
Here is an update from the WHO on the Ebola outbreak in Uganda; as of November 23rd there have been 10 cases with 5 deaths in Luweero and Kampala. What is worrisome about this outbreak is that the disease made it as far as the capitol city. Although this current outbreak appears to be contained, this is a good reminder that a disease that emerges in a remote jungle today can spread to anywhere in the world in a very short period of time.

Ugandan communities plant trees to avert disaster

British Red Cross: The Red Cross has responded to a call from the Ugandan Ministry of Disaster Preparedness to provide 50,000 tree seedlings, which will help reforest parts of the Mount Elgon region.

The tree-planting project is part of a new Uganda Red Cross programme, launched in September 2012, to reduce the impact of disasters in the Elgon region. The majority of families depend on the land for their survival, putting pressure on natural resources.  Environmental degradation in this region is one of the factors causing more frequent floods and landslides over the last few years.

Karen Peachey, British Red Cross representative in east Africa, said: “Such disasters are only going to become a greater threat due to a rapidly growing population, continuing environmental degradation and climate change, which is predicted to increase both the dry spells and intense rains. The programme, which is supported by the British Red Cross, will help communities be better prepared, saving both lives and livelihoods.”

The Uganda Red Cross is helping 30 communities in the districts of Bududa, Bulambuli, Manafwa and Bukedea. William Kimanai, a 34-year old community volunteer in Wanga village, Bulambuli district, said: “We’ve been given a number of tree species including mangoes, guavas, oranges and eucalyptus. The trees conserve moisture and that is why we plant them along the river banks. We encourage every household member to plant at least three trees.”...

Mount Elgon, shot by Kristina Just, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Uganda to get a climate change policy

Ronald Musoke in AllAfrica.com via the Independent (Kampala): The Climate Change Unit in the Ministry of Water and Environment is in the process of initiating a national Climate Change Policy before the end of the year according to a top Ministry of Water and Environment official. The Climate Change Unit was created by the government in 2008 although it started work in 2009 following its endorsement by the Cabinet.

Paul Isabirye, the Co-ordinator of the Climate Change Unit and the national focal person for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) said the policy will be accompanied by an implementation and communication strategy to avoid falling prey to the usual folly where well written national policies often fail to realize their goals because they lack an 'implementation strategy.'

In an exclusive interview with The Independent at the Climate Change Unit offices in Kampala on Nov. 9, Isabirye said the unit was working hard to have both the 'costed implementation' and communication strategies accompany the policy. "By the end of the year, these two will be out (and) these will help Uganda's climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts," Isabirye said....