Understanding Ebola in West Africa: Applying Human Ecology Theory

AbstractThis paper applies human ecology theory to the context of the Ebola virus in order to improve our understanding and implementation of public health standards in West Africa. Human ecology theory rests on the premise that humans interact with their environment to create an ecosystem. Put another way, humans and the environment are interdependent. Such interdependence is driven by two sets of rules: (1) physical and biological laws of nature (i.e., survival) and (2) human-derived rules (i.e., social norms, education, nurturing relationships, etc.). An important conclusion of this analysis is that, thanks to adequate understanding of the physical environment, context, and culture of West Africa, doctors and community leaders have helped people better resist the Ebola epidemic. For example, in Nigeria, successful strategies were employed to disseminate the proper information about Ebola (i.e., context messages were framed to fit the context of the receiver, thereby making the chances of survival higher).

Source: Global Social Welfare - June 1, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research