Ebola
How a People's Science Helped End an Epidemic
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6021587 |
|---|---|
| Authors | L Enria (0000-0002-6336-6531, University of Bath), David Harris (0000-0002-8321-2062), David A Harris (0000-0001-5588-1632, University of Bradford, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Pages | 1-2 |
| Publication date | 2017-03-14 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | African Affairs (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0001-9909 • E-ISSN: 1468-2621 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/afraf/adx012 |
| OpenAlex | W2797841553 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
Many who worked or closely observed events in West Africa during the Ebola epidemic of 2013–16 were perplexed by the uneven response of both international and national authorities but have now had many of their misgivings thoroughly discussed. Other questions, however, concerning the responses of ordinary Sierra Leoneans, Liberians and Guineans at the sharp end of the epidemic – ranging from violent resistance to self-sufficiency and innovation – have not been as satisfactorily answered. Paul Richards’ timely book shifts the emphasis to the experiences of communities, particularly in Sierra Leone, whose opinions were largely ignored during much of the outbreak by Western agencies or who were seen as ignorant and as barriers to success. One of the key advantages of the book is that it is a readable and balanced account. Richards identifies the very real challenges involved in the fight against Ebola—including the ways in which local burial practices contributed to the fast spread of the virus and how widely-advertised (but often contradictory) Western medical advice did not have the compliance rates that were envisaged. In the face of these challenges, the book tells a remarkable story of how some communities began organising their own effective and safe burial teams, quarantines, by-laws, and protective clothing. In the latter stages of the epidemic, Richards argues that communities and responders’ approaches converged, as both sides began ‘thinking like an epidemiologist and like a villager’ (p.114).
Biology · Environmental ethics · Ethnology · Face (sociological concept) · Political science · Resistance (ecology) · Sierra leone · Social science · Sociology · Ecology · Global Security and Public Health · Law · Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2018 - 2022 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |