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The Educational Review, USA

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Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2021.03.001

Social Challenges of Viral Infections in Africa: Experiencing COVID-19 in Cameroon

Chick Loveline Ayoh Ndi

Department of Anthropology, The University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon.

*Corresponding author: Chick Loveline Ayoh Ndi

Published: March 16,2021

Abstract

The experiences of viral infections in Africa have been a nightmare to the medical and social scientists in the way these diseases create their clinical and social histories. Social responses differ according to the context. Like HIV and Ebola viruses, COVID-19 makes another scene in the way this community responds and copes with this health challenge. Coping strategies towards the Corona pandemic are problematic with health behaviors minimizing the government instructions towards prevention. This study presents the social challenges experienced within this community at the individual and collective levels by infected and affected persons. The respect of preventive measures to the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging in Cameroon due to their culture that bind by social closeness and connectedness. A contribution to the literature on the social dimension of viral diseases in Africa, this qualitative study critically analyzes the situational experiences in the Cameroonian community with data collected through critical observation from a sample population in the city of Yaounde which is the highest city affected by this virus. Sample units consisted of an affected family, an infected person and a health care provider. The content was analyzed using the Social Bond theory of Travis Hirschi 1969. Stigma and fear kills persons with COVID-19 than the disease itself. Social distance leads to emotional distance and causes social death prior to physical death.

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How to cite this paper

Social Challenges of Viral Infections in Africa: Experiencing COVID-19 in Cameroon

How to cite this paper: Chick Loveline Ayoh Ndi. (2021). Social Challenges of Viral Infections in Africa: Experiencing COVID-19 in Cameroon. The Educational Review, USA5(3), 31-37.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2021.03.001