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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Patterns of distress on onchocercal depigmentation in the Aowin-Suaman District of the Western Region of Ghana
Author:Awedoba, A.K.ISNI
Year:1997
Periodical:African Anthropology (ISSN 1024-0969)
Volume:4
Issue:1
Period:March
Pages:80-91
Language:English
Notes:biblio. refs.
Geographic terms:Ghana
West Africa
Subjects:blindness
Health and Nutrition
Medicine, Nutrition, Public Health
onchocerciasis
Health surveys
Theowin-Suaman District (Ghana)
Abstract:Onchocerciasis causes some types of blindness and has also been known to cause kinds of dermatitis, including reactive skin lesions, nodules, hanging groins, skin atrophy, and itching. This paper examines onchocercal depigmentation, one manifestation of onchodermatitis, in the Aowin-Suaman District of the Western Region of Ghana, an area where onchocerciasis has been known for some time to be endemic. The focus is on the perceptions of nonaffected people living in communities where onchocerciasis is known to exist. The study was conducted between December 1993 and May 1994 and included questions on local terms for onchocercal depigmentation and respondents' acquaintance with the disease, their views on the seriousness of the disease and its most troubling aspects, on the willingness of those affected to disclose the condition to others, on the effect of the disease on social life, notably leadership, marriage and self-esteem, and on the causes of the disease. Depigmentation was seen by nonaffected people in communities where the condition was present as a cause for concern. The condition was considered severe because of the unsightly appearance of the feet. By contrast, those affected by the disease were generally more concerned about the itching that onchocercal depigmentation produces.
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