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Reintegrating the “Other” Challenges of Stigmatization in Policies and Practice: The Case of Ebola Survivors and Their Relatives During the 2014–2016 Epidemic

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Disaster Studies

Part of the book series: Disaster Studies and Management ((DSDM))

Abstract

Ebola broke out as an epidemic in 2015, in societies already torn apart by a history of civil war, military coups, international patronage, and underdevelopment. The disease not only depleted the already weak public health infrastructure but also severely fractured the social fabric resulting in violence and stigmatization. Several survivors were rejected by their society or faced discrimination from their family, friends, and neighbors. The paper discusses how stigma can be averted actively. Successful cases from the field in Liberia and Sierra Leone suggest that through community participation and careful planning, the patient can still be in contact with the outside world and the survivor can become part of his or her community again. By improving their well-being and their social visibility, local organizations and sensitive policies can direct the response toward the betterment of wider social networks and benefit local economies.

A version of this paper was presented at the Roundtable Conference on “Disaster and Exclusion: Exploring the Challenges”, organized by the Jamsetji Tata School of Disaster Studies, of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, the 30th and 31st March 2015.

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Acknowledgements

The author warmly thanks Prof. Janki Andharia, JTSDS (TISS), for her continuous and relentless contributions to this paper in terms of content and discourse.

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Correspondence to Alex Tsakiridis .

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Tsakiridis, A. (2020). Reintegrating the “Other” Challenges of Stigmatization in Policies and Practice: The Case of Ebola Survivors and Their Relatives During the 2014–2016 Epidemic. In: Andharia, J. (eds) Disaster Studies. Disaster Studies and Management. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9339-7_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9339-7_10

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-32-9338-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-32-9339-7

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