A community's experience during and after the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 in Sierra Leone: A qualitative study.
Background The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic devastated families and communities throughout West Africa. Due to its high mortality rate and infectious nature, most Ebola research to date has focused on healthcare response and interventions; however, little is known about the experiences of Ebola survivor...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:9d78539aac3a4d31b820b6a8a6a9c322 2023-05-15T15:15:19+02:00 A community's experience during and after the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 in Sierra Leone: A qualitative study. Rianna T Murray Laura Briggs Drew Christina Memmott Ya-Maila Bangura Elisabeth F Maring 2021-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009203 https://doaj.org/article/9d78539aac3a4d31b820b6a8a6a9c322 EN eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009203 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735 doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0009203 https://doaj.org/article/9d78539aac3a4d31b820b6a8a6a9c322 PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 15, Iss 2, p e0009203 (2021) Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009203 2022-12-31T05:57:01Z Background The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic devastated families and communities throughout West Africa. Due to its high mortality rate and infectious nature, most Ebola research to date has focused on healthcare response and interventions; however, little is known about the experiences of Ebola survivors and communities. This qualitative study aimed to better understand the lived experiences of community members, including children, during and after the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. Methods During June 2016 and June 2017, we conducted four focus groups comprised of primary school students, female caretakers, male caretakers, and teachers, and two individual in-depth interviews with local nurses in Calaba Town, a small village outside of Freetown. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using a modified grounded theory methodology. Findings All participants shared that they experienced significant challenges during and after the Ebola epidemic. During the epidemic, participants endured daily life challenges pertaining to fear, financial distress, and school closures. They also experienced suffering, loss, isolation, grief, and compromised culture. Confusion and distrust were also prevalent during the epidemic, with participants reporting confusion around Ebola transmission and distrust in the government and healthcare services. We also found that the struggle for food and grief stemming from the loss of loved ones continued more than a year after the epidemic ended. Despite Sierra Leone being declared Ebola-free, stigma and fear persisted and community members shared their continuing distrust of the government due to their actions during and after the epidemic. Conclusions The findings of this qualitative study reveal that the Ebola epidemic was a traumatizing period for the Calaba Town community, and that confusion and distrust toward the government health care system have continued. Future studies should explore the extended impact of the epidemic on communities, including long-term ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 15 2 e0009203 |
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 Rianna T Murray Laura Briggs Drew Christina Memmott Ya-Maila Bangura Elisabeth F Maring A community's experience during and after the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 in Sierra Leone: A qualitative study. |
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Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 |
description |
Background The 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic devastated families and communities throughout West Africa. Due to its high mortality rate and infectious nature, most Ebola research to date has focused on healthcare response and interventions; however, little is known about the experiences of Ebola survivors and communities. This qualitative study aimed to better understand the lived experiences of community members, including children, during and after the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. Methods During June 2016 and June 2017, we conducted four focus groups comprised of primary school students, female caretakers, male caretakers, and teachers, and two individual in-depth interviews with local nurses in Calaba Town, a small village outside of Freetown. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using a modified grounded theory methodology. Findings All participants shared that they experienced significant challenges during and after the Ebola epidemic. During the epidemic, participants endured daily life challenges pertaining to fear, financial distress, and school closures. They also experienced suffering, loss, isolation, grief, and compromised culture. Confusion and distrust were also prevalent during the epidemic, with participants reporting confusion around Ebola transmission and distrust in the government and healthcare services. We also found that the struggle for food and grief stemming from the loss of loved ones continued more than a year after the epidemic ended. Despite Sierra Leone being declared Ebola-free, stigma and fear persisted and community members shared their continuing distrust of the government due to their actions during and after the epidemic. Conclusions The findings of this qualitative study reveal that the Ebola epidemic was a traumatizing period for the Calaba Town community, and that confusion and distrust toward the government health care system have continued. Future studies should explore the extended impact of the epidemic on communities, including long-term ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Rianna T Murray Laura Briggs Drew Christina Memmott Ya-Maila Bangura Elisabeth F Maring |
author_facet |
Rianna T Murray Laura Briggs Drew Christina Memmott Ya-Maila Bangura Elisabeth F Maring |
author_sort |
Rianna T Murray |
title |
A community's experience during and after the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 in Sierra Leone: A qualitative study. |
title_short |
A community's experience during and after the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 in Sierra Leone: A qualitative study. |
title_full |
A community's experience during and after the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 in Sierra Leone: A qualitative study. |
title_fullStr |
A community's experience during and after the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 in Sierra Leone: A qualitative study. |
title_full_unstemmed |
A community's experience during and after the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 in Sierra Leone: A qualitative study. |
title_sort |
community's experience during and after the ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 in sierra leone: a qualitative study. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009203 https://doaj.org/article/9d78539aac3a4d31b820b6a8a6a9c322 |
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Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
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PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, Vol 15, Iss 2, p e0009203 (2021) |
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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009203 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2727 https://doaj.org/toc/1935-2735 1935-2727 1935-2735 doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0009203 https://doaj.org/article/9d78539aac3a4d31b820b6a8a6a9c322 |
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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009203 |
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PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases |
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