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We remember… Elders’ memories and perceptions of sleeping sickness control interventions in West Nile, Uganda
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Murilla, Grace Adira, Kovacic, Vanja, Tirados, Inaki, Esterhuizen, Johan, Mangwiro, Clement T. N., Lehane, Michael J., Torr, Stephen J. and Smith, Helen (2016) We remember… Elders’ memories and perceptions of sleeping sickness control interventions in West Nile, Uganda. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 10 (6). pp. 1-18. e0004745. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004745
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0004745
Abstract
The traditional role of African elders and their connection with the community make them important stakeholders in community-based disease control programmes. We explored elders’ memories related to interventions against sleeping sickness to assess whether or not past interventions created any trauma which might hamper future control operations. Using a qualitative research framework, we conducted and analysed twenty-four in-depth interviews with Lugbara elders from north-western Uganda. Participants were selected from the villages inside and outside known historical sleeping sickness foci. Elders’ memories ranged from examinations of lymph nodes conducted in colonial times to more recent active screening and treatment campaigns. Some negative memories dating from the 1990s were associated with diagnostic procedures, treatment duration and treatment side effects, and were combined with memories of negative impacts related to sleeping sickness epidemics particularly in HAT foci. More positive observations from the recent treatment campaigns were reported, especially improvements in treatment. Sleeping sickness interventions in our research area did not create any permanent traumatic memories, but memories remained flexible and open to change. This study however identified that details related to medical procedures can remain captured in a community’s collective memory for decades. We recommend more emphasis on communication between disease control programme planners and communities using detailed and transparent information distribution, which is not one directional but rather a dialogue between both parties.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||
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| Subjects: | D History General and Old World > DT Africa R Medicine > RC Internal medicine |
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School | ||||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Epidemic encephalitis -- Prevention -- Úganda, Epidemic encephalitis -- Diagnosis -- Úganda, Lugbara (African people) -- Health aspects -- Interviews, Oral history, Psychic trauma, Disease management -- History -- Úganda, Imperialism | ||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases | ||||||||
| Publisher: | Public Library of Science | ||||||||
| ISSN: | 1935-2727 | ||||||||
| Official Date: | 2 June 2016 | ||||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 10 | ||||||||
| Number: | 6 | ||||||||
| Number of Pages: | 18 | ||||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 1-18 | ||||||||
| Article Number: | e0004745 | ||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004745 | ||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Open Access | ||||||||
| RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
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