‘Our problem here is the pig Ebola’: local accounts of epizootics preceding Ebola outbreaks in north-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Medical Humanities·
- DOI
- 10.1136/medhum-2025-013586
- PMID
- —
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- W7147701838
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
Documenting regional narratives surrounding animal illness provides valuable context for understanding how communities interpret and report emerging health threats.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study investigates how regional communities and health personnel perceived and documented animal mortality events prior to two recent Ebola outbreaks in northeastern DRC.
Study design
This retrospective qualitative analysis combines interview data from scientific personnel and local stakeholders with historical document review to examine past disease reporting patterns.
Population and setting
Research activities centered on northeastern DRC, incorporating perspectives from regional residents, healthcare providers, veterinary staff, and international scientific teams.
Main findings
Investigative priorities frequently narrow toward specific wildlife due to ecological factors and hunting customs, which can sideline alternative community reports. Local breeders actively sought researcher attention regarding porcine mortality during the 2017 event, despite the illness originating from a distinct viral agent rather than the hemorrhagic fever pathogen.
Public-health relevance
Documenting regional narratives surrounding animal illness provides valuable context for understanding how communities interpret and report emerging health threats.
Important limitations
The retrospective methodology and dependence on archived materials may introduce recall bias and incomplete historical documentation.
GIDS interpretation
This publication situates historical community observations within anthropological and public health discourse, offering contextual background for understanding regional disease perception patterns without implying direct operational linkage.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 8 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.