Social representations of malaria in a southern malian community: an ethnographic qualitative study
Abstract Background Malaria is one of the prime reasons for medical consultation and the major cause of morbidity and mortality in Mali. To assess and understand the dynamics of social representations of malaria, the anthropological research was conducted in the Wayerema II neighbourhood of the heal...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:9d9c3afda99f4b2281977ab676e71364 2023-05-15T15:16:50+02:00 Social representations of malaria in a southern malian community: an ethnographic qualitative study Bourema Sissoko Mohamed Yunus Rafiq Jiaqi Rosemary Wang N’bamori dite Naba Sissoko 2022-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04298-0 https://doaj.org/article/9d9c3afda99f4b2281977ab676e71364 EN eng BMC https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04298-0 https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2875 doi:10.1186/s12936-022-04298-0 1475-2875 https://doaj.org/article/9d9c3afda99f4b2281977ab676e71364 Malaria Journal, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2022) Ethnography Malaria Perceptions Social representations Therapeutic routes Mali Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 article 2022 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04298-0 2022-12-30T21:46:12Z Abstract Background Malaria is one of the prime reasons for medical consultation and the major cause of morbidity and mortality in Mali. To assess and understand the dynamics of social representations of malaria, the anthropological research was conducted in the Wayerema II neighbourhood of the health district of Sikasso, southern Mali. Methods This was an ethnographic study conducted qualitatively in 2011 and 2016 through informal conversations, 70 semi-structured interviews, and participant observations with key actors. The observations, conversations, and interviews investigated local people’s perceptions and knowledge about malaria, and how and to what extent the cultural and popular representations of the disease can have an impact on therapeutic routes. Results Mosquitoes are the principal agent of the transmission of malaria. However, the ubiquitous yet casually-claimed aetiological agents, causative, nosographic entities differ from—although sometimes integrated into—the biomedical dimension. For example, some communities perceive Kono, a complicated and pernicious form of malaria that often occurs among children, to originate from a supernatural force. “Bird disease” is another term used for Kono in Mali and other West African countries. Thus, overall, Kono is defined through the entanglements with cultural factors, namely the idiosyncratic habits, customs, and beliefs of the population of Wayerema II neighbourhood in the health district of Sikasso, Southern Mali. Wayerema II residents particularly tend to link therapeutic recourse amongst the afflicted not only to biomedical models but to sociocultural and popular perceptions and representations of malaria. Conclusion In the findings, self-medication through both traditional and modern medical techniques was the most frequent therapeutic modality. Hence, the integration of local popular knowledge with the biomedical register can contribute to a comprehensive understanding of social representations and perceptions of malaria, and qualitative ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Malaria Journal 21 1 |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Ethnography Malaria Perceptions Social representations Therapeutic routes Mali Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
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Ethnography Malaria Perceptions Social representations Therapeutic routes Mali Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 Bourema Sissoko Mohamed Yunus Rafiq Jiaqi Rosemary Wang N’bamori dite Naba Sissoko Social representations of malaria in a southern malian community: an ethnographic qualitative study |
topic_facet |
Ethnography Malaria Perceptions Social representations Therapeutic routes Mali Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
description |
Abstract Background Malaria is one of the prime reasons for medical consultation and the major cause of morbidity and mortality in Mali. To assess and understand the dynamics of social representations of malaria, the anthropological research was conducted in the Wayerema II neighbourhood of the health district of Sikasso, southern Mali. Methods This was an ethnographic study conducted qualitatively in 2011 and 2016 through informal conversations, 70 semi-structured interviews, and participant observations with key actors. The observations, conversations, and interviews investigated local people’s perceptions and knowledge about malaria, and how and to what extent the cultural and popular representations of the disease can have an impact on therapeutic routes. Results Mosquitoes are the principal agent of the transmission of malaria. However, the ubiquitous yet casually-claimed aetiological agents, causative, nosographic entities differ from—although sometimes integrated into—the biomedical dimension. For example, some communities perceive Kono, a complicated and pernicious form of malaria that often occurs among children, to originate from a supernatural force. “Bird disease” is another term used for Kono in Mali and other West African countries. Thus, overall, Kono is defined through the entanglements with cultural factors, namely the idiosyncratic habits, customs, and beliefs of the population of Wayerema II neighbourhood in the health district of Sikasso, Southern Mali. Wayerema II residents particularly tend to link therapeutic recourse amongst the afflicted not only to biomedical models but to sociocultural and popular perceptions and representations of malaria. Conclusion In the findings, self-medication through both traditional and modern medical techniques was the most frequent therapeutic modality. Hence, the integration of local popular knowledge with the biomedical register can contribute to a comprehensive understanding of social representations and perceptions of malaria, and qualitative ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bourema Sissoko Mohamed Yunus Rafiq Jiaqi Rosemary Wang N’bamori dite Naba Sissoko |
author_facet |
Bourema Sissoko Mohamed Yunus Rafiq Jiaqi Rosemary Wang N’bamori dite Naba Sissoko |
author_sort |
Bourema Sissoko |
title |
Social representations of malaria in a southern malian community: an ethnographic qualitative study |
title_short |
Social representations of malaria in a southern malian community: an ethnographic qualitative study |
title_full |
Social representations of malaria in a southern malian community: an ethnographic qualitative study |
title_fullStr |
Social representations of malaria in a southern malian community: an ethnographic qualitative study |
title_full_unstemmed |
Social representations of malaria in a southern malian community: an ethnographic qualitative study |
title_sort |
social representations of malaria in a southern malian community: an ethnographic qualitative study |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04298-0 https://doaj.org/article/9d9c3afda99f4b2281977ab676e71364 |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
Malaria Journal, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2022) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04298-0 https://doaj.org/toc/1475-2875 doi:10.1186/s12936-022-04298-0 1475-2875 https://doaj.org/article/9d9c3afda99f4b2281977ab676e71364 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-022-04298-0 |
container_title |
Malaria Journal |
container_volume |
21 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1766347123640500224 |