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Reaching out to Ebola victims: Coercion, persuasion or an appeal for self-sacrifice?

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  • Calain, Philippe
  • Poncin, Marc

Abstract

The 2014–2015 Ebola crisis in West Africa has highlighted the practical limits of upholding human rights and common ethical principles when applying emergency public-health measures. The role of medical teams in the implementation of quarantine and isolation has been equivocal, particularly when such measures are opposed by communities who are coerced by the temporary suspension of civil liberties. In their encounters with Ebola victims, outreach teams face moral dilemmas, where the boundaries are unclear between coercion, persuasion and appeals for self-sacrifice. For those teams, we propose a set of practical recommendations aimed at respecting the autonomy of epidemic victims and easing tensions within communities. We recognize that some of these recommendations are progressively achievable, depending on the specific stage or setting of an outbreak. Yet with the increasing availability of experimental treatments and research interventions, weighing patients' autonomy against the common good will become an even more pressing ethical obligation.

Suggested Citation

  • Calain, Philippe & Poncin, Marc, 2015. "Reaching out to Ebola victims: Coercion, persuasion or an appeal for self-sacrifice?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 126-133.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:147:y:2015:i:c:p:126-133
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.10.063
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Christopher J. M. Whitty & Jeremy Farrar & Neil Ferguson & W. John Edmunds & Peter Piot & Melissa Leach & Sally C. Davies, 2014. "Infectious disease: Tough choices to reduce Ebola transmission," Nature, Nature, vol. 515(7526), pages 192-194, November.
    2. David L Heymann, 2014. "Ebola: learn from the past," Nature, Nature, vol. 514(7522), pages 299-300, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Panter-Brick, Catherine & Eggerman, Mark, 2018. "The field of medical anthropology in Social Science & Medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 233-239.
    2. Leininger, Julia & von Schiller, Armin & Strupat, Christoph & Malerba, Daniele, 2022. "Policy responses to COVID-19: Why social cohesion and social protection matter in Africa," IDOS Discussion Papers 20/2022, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    3. Park, Sung-Joon & Akello, Grace, 2017. "The oughtness of care: Fear, stress, and caregiving during the 2000–2001 Ebola outbreak in Gulu, Uganda," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 60-66.
    4. Desclaux, Alice & Badji, Dioumel & Ndione, Albert Gautier & Sow, Khoudia, 2017. "Accepted monitoring or endured quarantine? Ebola contacts' perceptions in Senegal," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 38-45.
    5. Bonwitt, Jesse & Dawson, Michael & Kandeh, Martin & Ansumana, Rashid & Sahr, Foday & Brown, Hannah & Kelly, Ann H., 2018. "Unintended consequences of the ‘bushmeat ban’ in West Africa during the 2013–2016 Ebola virus disease epidemic," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 166-173.

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