Ethnoecology

Fruit bats for sale in Congolese bushmeat market. Photo
credit: Reuters

An ethnoecology-based perspective takes into account indigenous Congolese people’s knowledge of their environment and the ways that the Congolese view themselves in relation to their modes of subsistence. Do these indigenous groups understand the risks of interacting with species that may carry the Ebola virus? If they do know these risks, what measures can be implemented to prevent more Ebola outbreaks from occurring in the Congo?

The first step in the establishment of an Ebola outbreak is transmission to humans via the consumption or handling of infected animal remains. From this initial zoonotic transmission, the Ebola virus is then spread to other humans who come into contact with an infected individual's bodily fluids (Roess et al. 2017, 913). Current research has confirmed monkeys and apes in Central Africa as carriers of the Ebola virus, but recent evidence suggests that fruit bats are hosts for several strains of the disease (Roess et al. 2017, 913). There was a case during a 2007 outbreak where a child died of Ebola after being in contact with their father's sweat after he consumed fruit bat meat, but it was inconclusive whether the bats were the cause of transmission (Leendertz et al. 2016, 19). A capturing of 679 bats in the early 2000s revealed that three different species were carrying Ebola-specific antibodies (Leroy et al., 2005, 575). Similar results were found in a later study where Ebola-specific antibodies and PCR-positive organs were also found in some of the bats tested (Leendertz et al. 2016, 19). While the significance of the fruit bat as a primary host of the Ebola virus remains unclear, these findings suggest that more research is warranted.

Bushmeat vendor in Mbandaka market. Photo credit:
AFP News

Those who have grown up in areas outside of the African may affix themselves to a savior mentality when discussing the Ebola crisis. Consequently, there is a tendency to label the Congolese as victims who are unaware of the dangers around them. However, in the case of recognizing the causes of Ebola, over 70% of the surveyed sample population were able to correctly identify methods of Ebola transmission and ways to mitigate their risk of contracting Ebola; around 80% knew that they should avoid eating animals at risk of carrying Ebola (Roess et al. 2017, 917). The majority of the sample population understood how to protect themselves from Ebola, but most preventative measures are largely ineffective if one is to unknowingly come into contact with an asymptomatic carrier of the virus which was less knowledgeable. In this same study, the researchers exposed around 64,000 residents in 15 different Congolese villages to an informational film screening and a short discussion with healthcare representatives afterward. The number of residents who could correctly identify methods of Ebola transmission and ways to mitigate their risk of contracting Ebola jumped from 70% to approximately 98% after going through this program (Roess et al. 2017, 917). This intervention's effectivity took a community-based approach with successful results, and this type of program may be something that the Congolese government implements if they can ensure broad outreach. With this in mind, an end to Ebola outbreaks in the Congo is one focused on preventing disease transmission via community education and the continuation of drug trials for a future Ebola vaccine.

Sources: https://ebolainthecongo.blogspot.com/2019/03/bibliography.html