TY - JOUR
T1 - Tungiasis Stigma and Control Practices in a Hyperendemic Region in Northeastern Uganda
AU - McNeilly, Hannah
AU - Thielecke, Marlene
AU - Mutebi, Francis
AU - Banalyaki, Mike
AU - Reichert, Felix
AU - Wiese, Susanne
AU - Feldmeier, Hermann
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank the community members of the study parishes in Napak and the leadership of Napak district for their support. Many thanks to George Mukone for his valuable insights and for his work as project manager. We also wish to thank our data manager Rebecca Arono for her important contributions to data collection tools, data management, data analysis, and data curation. We thank the study nurse Proscovia Mukobe and social worker Gertrude Angel Nabbale for their valuable work in the field. We are very grateful for the data collection carried out by the Village Tungiasis Health Workers and for the support from the Village Health Teams and the Local Council 1 leaders. All data collection activities were coordinated by Innovations for Tropical Disease elimination (IFOTRODE). The project received NYDA from G. Pohl-Boskamp GmbH & Co. KG (Hohenlockstedt, Germany) free of charge to treat individuals with tungiasis. ®
Funding Information:
This research was carried out as part of a humanitarian project aimed at eliminating tungiasis in highly endemic communities in the Napak district. It was funded by the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation (EKFS) in Bad Homburg, Germany, a philanthropic institution funding humanitarian projects in Africa, and German Doctors e.V. in Bonn, Germany, an NGO aiming at providing treatment for people living in resource-poor settings.
Funding Information:
The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results. H. Feldmeier and M. Thielecke have previously received financial support from G. Pohl-Boskamp GmbH & Co. KG and other producers of dimeticone oil for studies on the effect of dimeticone oils on tungiasis in Kenya and Madagascar.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.
PY - 2023/3/30
Y1 - 2023/3/30
N2 - Neglected tropical diseases are known to be highly stigmatized conditions. This study investigates tungiasis-related stigma and control practices in the impoverished Napak District in rural northeastern Uganda, where tungiasis is hyperendemic and effective treatment is unavailable. We conducted a questionnaire survey with the main household caretakers (n = 1329) in 17 villages and examined them for tungiasis. The prevalence of tungiasis among our respondents was 61.0%. Questionnaire responses showed that tungiasis was perceived as a potentially serious and debilitating condition and that tungiasis-related stigma and embarrassment were common. Among the respondents, 42.0% expressed judging attitudes, associating tungiasis with laziness, carelessness, and dirtiness, and 36.3% showed compassionate attitudes towards people with tungiasis. Questionnaire responses further indicated that people made an effort to keep their feet and house floors clean (important tungiasis prevention measures), but lack of water was a common problem in the area. The most frequent local treatment practices were hazardous manual extraction of sand fleas with sharp instruments and application of various and sometimes toxic substances. Reliable access to safe and effective treatment and water are therefore key to reducing the need for dangerous treatment attempts and breaking the vicious cycle of tungiasis stigma in this setting marked by poverty.
AB - Neglected tropical diseases are known to be highly stigmatized conditions. This study investigates tungiasis-related stigma and control practices in the impoverished Napak District in rural northeastern Uganda, where tungiasis is hyperendemic and effective treatment is unavailable. We conducted a questionnaire survey with the main household caretakers (n = 1329) in 17 villages and examined them for tungiasis. The prevalence of tungiasis among our respondents was 61.0%. Questionnaire responses showed that tungiasis was perceived as a potentially serious and debilitating condition and that tungiasis-related stigma and embarrassment were common. Among the respondents, 42.0% expressed judging attitudes, associating tungiasis with laziness, carelessness, and dirtiness, and 36.3% showed compassionate attitudes towards people with tungiasis. Questionnaire responses further indicated that people made an effort to keep their feet and house floors clean (important tungiasis prevention measures), but lack of water was a common problem in the area. The most frequent local treatment practices were hazardous manual extraction of sand fleas with sharp instruments and application of various and sometimes toxic substances. Reliable access to safe and effective treatment and water are therefore key to reducing the need for dangerous treatment attempts and breaking the vicious cycle of tungiasis stigma in this setting marked by poverty.
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/8/4/206
U2 - 10.3390/tropicalmed8040206
DO - 10.3390/tropicalmed8040206
M3 - Article
VL - 8
JO - Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
JF - Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
SN - 2414-6366
IS - 4
M1 - 206
ER -