Despite awareness campaigns about survivors' immunity to Ebola, half of people surveyed recently in Liberia said they would feel uncomfortable visiting the home of an Ebola survivor. Richlue O. Burphy writes about the challenges that lie ahead in tackling stigma, as Liberia counts down the days to being officially declared Ebola-free.


"Stigma Has Become Another Disease to Beat"

Nurse in Monrovia, Liberia | UNMEER/Simon Ruf

Liberia has only suffered from one new Ebola case in the last three weeks, with strong, comprehensive efforts to contain and stamp out the disease proving to be effective.However, becoming stigma-free poses even more of a challenge.

According to a recent citizen-led survey conducted by Mercy Corps in all of Liberia's 15 counties, half of people surveyed said they would be uncomfortable visiting the house of an Ebola survivor. Nearly two thirds said they would not eat from the same bowl as an Ebola response worker.

This is something we hear regularly in Liberia now. Stigma has, in fact, become another disease that survivors have to beat. Even after they recover and are discharged from Ebola treatment centers, their communities often do not believe they are well. They don't want them to go to the markets, to visit friends' houses, or to go to places of worship. Coupled with the harsh economic impact of the outbreak, these attitudes and behaviors are already causing serious psychological effects. We all need to feel that we belong in our communities.

Edwin's Story - Spreading the Message

Religious leaders and traditional dancers in Montserrado, Liberia | UNMEER / Samuel Shilajiru

I spoke with Edwin, a social mobilizer who works with Mercy Corps. "When we go out into the communities on our duties, we meet people whose family and friends are scared of them because they came into contact with Ebola," he tells me. "No one wants to come around them. They are now cured, but still they are being avoided."

In partnership with Population Services International (PSI), Mercy Corps is training more than 800 social mobilizers and 10,000 additional "communicators" from all of Liberia's 15 counties. They hope they will spread the message that survivors cannot spread the virus once they are declared Ebola-free. But how easy will that be?

Mary from Monrovia - Sensitiving Friends and Family

Mary J. Boalie is a 34-year-old Ebola survivor from Congo Town, Monrovia. She said it took her months to persuade her friends and family to socialize with her, after recovering from the virus. "It is not enough to say, 'stigma is bad, so please forget about it'," she said. "I had to explain to them why it was not dangerous to come around me. Even then, some of them did not believe me, so I asked a friend who is a nurse to explain that the virus had left my body. When she explained how it does that, they started to see the truth."

M. Boakai Sirleaf is one of the new volunteers who will be working with PSI and Mercy Corps. He knows his role won't be easy. But, he says, "we are very committed to seeing Ebola leave Liberia. We cannot just sit and watch people coming here to tell us how to take care of ourselves. We need to tell ourselves."


This story was originally published on Ebola Deeply, an independent digital media project working to improve the state of information around the Ebola crisis. Their goal is to build a better user experience of the story by adding context to content, integrating expertise in science, health, and public policy with a range of voices on the ground. The team is committed to a collaborative and solutions-driven model of journalism, surfacing new insights and elevating voices with knowledge to share. Find more content from Ebola Deeply here.

Editorial

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Nearing ebola's end, stigma has become another disease to beat

Ein Beitrag von Richlue O. Burphy