Running head: DISEASE CONTROL IN AFRICA

Disease Control in Africa: Tips for Effective Containment

Abigail Elinor Thomforde
James Madison University

DISEASE CONTROL IN AFRICA

2
Table of Contents

Abstract 3
Introduction ..4
Literature Review .5
Conclusion/Discussion .7
Citations ... 8

DISEASE CONTROL IN AFRICA

Disease spread can be deadly to populations if not adequately controlled. The Ebola
outbreak in 2014 jumped countries, travelled by airplane, and claimed the lives of many health
workers, working to contain the spread. Disease control is an important aspect of public health
that may be overlooked until a crisis. Controlling a disease can require more effort than typical
public health due to the possibly severe nature. This article discusses the important factors in

DISEASE CONTROL IN AFRICA

Disease Control in Africa: Tips for Effective Containment

Public health and disease control are two topics that go hand in hand, but also require
sometimes drastically different actions. Public health is the constant day to day work of health
workers in vaccinations, physicals, chronic disease management, and other regular activities.
Public health also includes basic human needs such as access to clean water, access to shelter,
and availability of emergency medical services. Disease control is the response of a country, its
people, or public health workers to an outbreak of a contagious disease.
In Africa, disease control can be a difficult task due to an incredible number of issues.
Barriers to disease control are rooted in a lack of access to clean water, roughly traveled roads
with nearly open borders between countries, and low to no access to any form of health care.
The Ebola outbreak, beginning in 2014, gives an example of a poorly controlled deadly
disease. The Ebola outbreak is believed to have begun in Sierra Leone, and quickly spread to
Guinea and Liberia. Ebola also spread via air travel very quickly. Ebola is a particularly difficult
disease to combat because the disease can incubate in your system for up to 21 days before
showing symptoms. This means that someone can be contagious without knowing it for up to 21
days when they may be travelling.
This project is rooted in ecological systems theory as a method of realizing the
importance of interacting systems as well as the overwhelming importance of the ecology and
land behind the control of disease. This project also uses the Health Belief Model to ..
Africa, cultural connections, use of different techniques, need to understand the culture
and local customs, importance of including tribe leaders in decisions

DISEASE CONTROL IN AFRICA

This project is relevant to the nonprofit studies minor as public health, health care, and
disease control are often handled by nonprofits. For example, Doctors without Borders is an
international nonprofit that provides health services, by medical professionals, to people who
may not otherwise have access to health care.
Social work is done on many levels; from the micro level of working with individuals
and families, to the mezzo level of working with groups, to the macro level of working
organizations, communities, policy, and large scale campaigns. Social work plays an important
role in public health. Social work uses systems theory to emphasize the importance of others in a
persons life. The health of a community can be gauged in social work using many different
models, however the physical health of the individuals is a factor.
This project will be marketed to students and professors at public health conferences as a
teaching tool for learning about the needs of a country. This will in turn help the plan trickle up
into the major, international, public health fields through referral, as well as throughout years of
students learning and using the plan and then implementing it at agencys they eventually work
for.
The literature review pulls from many different sources to connect the important factors
of disease control, specifically in Africa. It uses different types of sources from many disciplines
to exhibit the important topics that must be considered for accurate and effective disease control.
Literature review
Goodson, Masresha, Wannemuehler, Uzican, and Cochi discuss the epidemiology of
Measles before during and after the introduction of the vaccine (2011). This article demonstrates

DISEASE CONTROL IN AFRICA

that 93% to 95% of a population needs to be vaccinated in order for a population to become
immune to the disease (Goodson et al., 2011).
Lawal, Grierson, and Afolayan studied traditional methods for the treatment of
Tuberculosis in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa (2014). They highlight the importance of
alternative and complementary treatments against the American standard of pharmaceutical
treatments (Lawal, Grierson, & Afolayan, 2014). This is important because the American
standard of health care does not apply to all other countries and it is important to understand that
health
Feasey, Dougan, Kingsley, Heyderman, and Gordon studied salmonella in multiple
countries in Africa (2012). Their research lends to the complexities of disease control and brings
up the seriousness of multi-drug resistant strains of common infections and diseases (Feasey, et
al. 2012). This means that once controlled diseases are no longer controllable with standard
methods (Feasey, et al. 2012).
Chan speaks to the state of the Ebola outbreak, during the height of the outbreak (2014).
Chan is able to express the truly important portions of the outbreak that were poorly handled
(2014). Chan attributes the severity of the outbreak directly to poverty. As well, Chan discusses
the impact that the media had on both the frenzy and actions taken around the Ebola outbreak
(2014). The severity of the Ebola outbreak was increased by the local burial customs, open intercountry travel, lack of cure, and willingness of health care workers to put themselves in danger to
help others (Chan, 2014).

DISEASE CONTROL IN AFRICA

Conclusion/Discussion
In conclusion, in combating a contagious disease in Africa, important factors must be
taken into account before entering a country. One must consider the rituals, traditions, and
customs around many facets of life, however especially around birth, death, menstruation, and
mental illness. The travel, both domestic and international, including existing in country
infrastructure must be considered. Existing public health structure and media campaigns
effectiveness and perception by the population, including differences between urban and rural
areas.

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8
Citations

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Feasey, N. A., Dougan, G., Kingsley, R. A., Heyderman, R. S., &Gordon, M. A. (2012). Invasive
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The Lancet 379(9835) 2489-2499. Doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61752-2
Goodson, J. L., Masresha, B. G., Wannemuehler, K., Uzican, A., & Cochi, S. (2011). Changing
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