Socio-cultural factors in onchocerciasis control: a study of rural Southeast Nigeria
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Socio-cultural factors in onchocerciasis control: a study of rural Southeast Nigeria Okechukwu Odinaka Ajaegbu1
Received: 29 May 2020 / Accepted: 3 September 2020 Indian Society for Parasitology 2020
Abstract Despite significant global and local efforts geared towards elimination of onchocerciasis, it has been observed that there are socio-cultural factor that make the disease to persist; especially in the rural areas.This study, therefore, investigated socio-cultural factors influencing the control of onchocerciasis in rural southeast Nigeria. The mixed methods research design was adopted for this study. Questionnaire and in-depth interview were the data collection instruments. The quantitative data were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. For the qualitative data, 23 in-depth interviews were conducted and analysed using content analysis method. The study established a negative correlation between cultural factors such as religions beliefs and participation in onchocerciasis control in rural South-East Nigeria. Thus, religious beliefs which reinforces onchocerciasis prevalence must be addressed for effective control and elimination of the disease in rural southeast Nigeria. Keywords Onchocerciasis Socio-cultural factors Religon Community
& Okechukwu Odinaka Ajaegbu [email protected] 1
Department of Sociology, Imo State University, P.M.B. 2000, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
Introduction Onchocerciasis is an eye and skin infection transmitted to humans through the bites of onchocerca volvulus infected black flies. The disease is also linked to epilepsy and nodules on affected people (Siewe et al. 2019). It is essentially a rural disease affecting communities sited along fast-flowing rivers with symptoms specially irritating and disabling, often related with long-term exposure to infection and this affects the social and economic activities of the inhabitants involved. After repeated exposure to black fly bites, the affected person may begin to show symptoms of the disease. According to FMOH (2017), Nigeria has the largest number of onchocerciasis infected people in the global. The findings of a research conducted by Umeh et al. (2010) on the prevalence and distribution of river blindness in three ecological zones (Cross River, Taraba and Kogi) in Nigeria, onchocerciasis was the most prevalent cause of blindness; accounting for 30.2% of blindness in the study areas. Although there have been a lot of studies on the clinical symptoms of onchocerciasis (Oluwole et al. 2009; Carter Center 2010; Eezzuduemhoi and Wilson 2013; Eyo et al. 2013; Adebayo 2014), there are little or scanty information on socio-cultural factors that influence the control of onchocerciasis among rural dwellers in southeast Nigeria. According to a study conducted by Okoye et al. (2011) in rural northeast Nigeria, men have special preference for women with palpable nodules of the lower extremities because it is believed that tin
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