Gender dimensions to the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria

Abstract

Background:An outbreak of Ebola disease was declared in Lagos, South West Nigeria, on 23rd July 2014. Later, the outbreak spread to the south south and south eastern part of the country. The last cases occurred on August 31, 2014 and the country was certified to be Ebola free on 20th October, 2014. This paper describes the experiences and implications of the Ebola outbreak for Nigerian women.Subjects and Methods:Identification and listing of cases and contacts was done in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Enugu. Socio demographic information was collected.Results:Women made up 55% of Ebola cases and 56.6% of contacts traced. Of the 8 deaths reported 50.0% (4) were women, of which 75.0% (3) were health care providers. The sex specific case attack and fatality rates for males and females were 2.2% versus 2.3% and 45.5% versus 33.3% respectively. The women restricted their movement in order to avoid the infection. The outbreak affected their utilisation of health care services and livelihood.Conclusion:Women were exposed occupationally and domestically due to their care giving roles. In health facilities, they were directly involved in the care or encountered persons who had been in contact with persons with Ebola. In the homes, they were at the forefront of nursing the sick. There is the need to ensure women have access to information, services and personal protective equipment to enable them protect themselves from infection. Education and engagement of women is crucial to protect women from infection and for prompt outbreak containment.

Effects of Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak on Bush Meat Enterprise and Environmental Health Risk Behavior Among Households in South-East Nigeria

“…It is this increase in females’ consumption of bushmeat that could have accounted for the rise in the maximum quantity consumed from 50 plates of bushmeat before and after the outbreak to as much as 60 plates during the EVD crises (see Table 2 ). This is in line with findings reported by Fawole, Bamiselu, Adewuyi, and Nguku ( 2018 ) who studied gender dimensions to the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria and reported that women made up 55% of Ebola cases and 56.6% of contacts traced. This does not, however, directly suggest that bushmeat consumption led to more infection, but that females are less risk-averse with regard to public health consequences.…”

The perspective of gender on the Ebola virus using a risk management and population health framework: a scoping review

“…In the 2014 outbreak, more cases were recorded among women than men [8, 10]. In Nigeria, women accounted for 55% of the cases, and men accounted for the remaining 45% [11]. …”

“…There is currently no evidence related to biological differences in female or male sex that increases Ebola virus transmission and vulnerability; rather, there are differences in the level of exposure between men and women [10, 11, 18]. .…”

Hand Hygiene Practices and Microbial Investigation of Hand Contact Swab among Physiotherapists in an Ebola Endemic Region: Implications for Public Health

“…Enugu was selected for the study because it was among the three cities in Nigeria where EVD was reported [9]. Invariably, any of the three reference hospitals in Enugu would have been the likely point to access healthcare services for affected patients.…”