title: Ebola Virus Diseases in Africa: a commentary on its history, local and global context.
abstract: Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) started as a minor infection in Uganda in 1974 and has been frequent in Central Africa Region for the past 40 years. For over 40 years, Ebola was treated as an African disease, called a fever and known by other names where occurrences have been frequent. EVD has become a global public health threat following the most recent outbreak in West Africa. By December 31, 2014, Ebola has infected more than 23,500 people in West Africa and killed over 9,500, nearly all in the three worst-affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. It is transmitted through blood, vomit, diarrhea and other bodily fluids but cultural attributes associate its etiology to man-made and supernatural causes, hence stemming public health approaches to contain EVD difficult. Distrust and conflict between two healing systems are rife necessitating an African Model of EVD care and prevention. The African model remains indispensable to understand EVD and developing appropriate EVD containing approaches.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences, University of Yaounde I, PO Box 755, Yaounde, Cameroon; Center for Population Studies and Health Promotion, PO Box 7535, Yaounde-Cameroon.
authors.forename: Paschal Kum
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Awah
authors.affiliation: Regional Representative, Fairmed Foundation, Africa, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Alphonse Um
authors.initials: AU
authors.lastname: Boock
authors.affiliation: Center for Population Studies and Health Promotion, PO Box 7535, Yaounde-Cameroon; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, Letters and Social Sciences, University of Yaounde I, PO Box 755, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Kaiseuh Awah
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kum
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014943:Global Health; D019142:Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D017146:Models, Organizational; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods
keywords: African model; Ebola Virus Disease; West Africa; culture; neglect