Abstract

The current outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Upper West Africa is the largest ever recorded.  Molecular evidence suggests spread has been almost exclusively through human-to-human contact.  Social factors are thus clearly important to understand the epidemic and ways in which it might be stopped, but these factors have so far been little analyzed.  The present paper focuses on Sierra Leone, and provides data on the least understood part of the epidemic – the largely undocumented spread of Ebola in rural areas.  Various forms of social networking in rural communities and their relevance for understanding pathways of transmission are described.  Particular attention is paid to the relationship between marriage, funerals and land tenure.  Funerals are known to be a high-risk factor for infection.  It is suggested that more than a shift in awareness of risks will be needed to change local patterns of behavior, especially in regard to funerals, since these are central to the consolidation of community ties.  A concluding discussion relates the information presented to plans for halting the disease.  Local consultation and access are seen as major challenges to be addressed.

Reference

The Ebola epidemic has finally captured international attention. Coverage of Ebola was minimal when the disease was confined to West Africa, but a small number of recent cases in the US and Europe have sparked frantic, hysterical reporting from western media outlets and subsequent public panic. In light of this, it’s important to keep the threat in perspective. For example, the above chart shows the number of confirmed and suspected cases in every country touched by the virus.

This World Health Organization data, provided by the Humanitarian Data Exchange and visualized using analysis tools we’re developing at CrisisNET, confirms statements by the Centers for Disease Control reassuring people in the US and Europe that their chances of contracting Ebola are vanishingly small (in fact, to date all known cases outside of West Africa have been health workers directly involved in treating Ebola patients).
 

Read the full article

http://reliefweb.int/report/liberia/tracking-ebola-crisisnet-and-ushahidi-platform

PDF Presentation

http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Tracking%20Ebola%20with%20CrisisNET%20and%20the%20Ushahidi%20Platform%20-%20Ushahidi%20-%20Ushahidi.pdf

Website

http://crisis.net/

On redoute plusieurs centaines de milliers de nouveaux cas d’Ebola en Afrique de l’Ouest d’ici à la fin de l’année. Sur place, les difficultés de communication compliquent la riposte contre le virus. Rencontre avec Alain Epelboin, spécialiste d’anthropologie médicale et expert de l’OMS.

Article complet : https://lejournal.cnrs.fr/articles/ebola-les-anthropologues-en-renfort

Ebola n’est pas la seule maladie infectieuse à toucher l’Afrique. La persistance d’autres épidémies témoigne d’une situation sanitaire critique. L’anthropologue Yannick Jaffré revient sur les faiblesses structurelles qui minent le continent.

(…)

Des services de santé défaillants

L’épidémie d’Ebola qui touche l’Afrique est également révélatrice de ce qu’est, aujourd’hui, la situation sanitaire africaine. Cela commence par le sens que ces populations donnent au mal et à la maladie, la manière dont elles repèrent la récurrence de certains symptômes et les façons complexes dont elles nomment et interprètent toute « nouvelle maladie », définissent ses causes ainsi que les remèdes et préventions à mettre en œuvre. Mais au-delà, c’est surtout la crédibilité des discours émanant de l’État, des institutions internationales ou des responsables sanitaires nationaux qui est questionnée. À quel « message » se fier alors que bien des autorités pratiquent ce que Hanna Arendt nommait « le mensonge en plein jour » ?

Retrouvez l’article complet : https://lejournal.cnrs.fr/billets/ebola-et-ensuite

Pour aller plus loin :
« Pandémie Grippale A/H5N1 et niveau de préparation du Niger : une étude sur les connaissances des soignants » (link is external), E. D’Alessandro, G. Soula , Y. Jaffré et al., Bull. Soc. Pathol. Exot., 2012, 105 : 68-75.

As of October 19, 2014
(Updated October 22, 2014)

Countries with Widespread Transmission

Country	Total Cases	Laboratory-Confirmed Cases	Total Deaths
Guinea	1540	1289	904
Liberia	4665	965	2705
Sierra Leone	3706	3223	1259
Total	9911	5477	4868

Countries with Travel-associated Cases

Country	Total Cases	Laboratory-Confirmed Cases	Total Deaths
Senegal	1*	1*	0
Spain	1	1	0
Total	1	1	0

Countries with Localized Transmission

Country	Total Cases	Laboratory-Confirmed Cases	Total Deaths
Nigeria	20*	19*	8
United States	3	3	1
Total	23	22	9

*The outbreaks of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Senegal and Nigeria were declared over on 17 October and 19 October 2014, respectively. A national EVD outbreak is considered to be over when 42 days (double the 21-day incubation period of the Ebola virus) has elapsed since the last patient in isolation became laboratory negative for EVD.

Full report: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/case-counts.html