Could religion help prevent the spread of disease in Africa?
From COVID-19 to SARS and Ebola, infectious diseases that jump from animals to humans have made the headlines in the last decade or so. What role could religion play in helping prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases? That’s the question being explored by biology graduate student Eustache Hounyeme through his LCI project in Côte d’Ivoire. He is examining the impact of Muslim and Christian communities’ beliefs, attitudes and practices on the spread of such diseases as rabies, sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis) and bovine tuberculosis.
“My motivation for the project was that during my molecular biology research into sleeping sickness, as part of my PhD, I saw the limits of existing means of prevention,” shares Eustache.
Through his graduate studies, Eustache has co-authored several studies on sleeping sickness, an insect-borne parasitic infection, which threatens 70 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Now, through his LCI project, Eustache is combining his biological expertise with a sociological and theological approach to disease control and prevention.
“Zoonotic diseases affect all religious communities without distinction,” he says. “I believe involving religious communities could be crucial in the fight against these diseases. Seemingly innocuous gestures and deep-rooted cultural beliefs can pose significant risks to the transmission of diseases that are spread from animals. Although religious beliefs are often difficult to change, I am convinced that our project could provoke important reflections among some religious leaders and initiate a crucial debate among academics on the impact of religious beliefs in the face of health risks.”
Eustache’s project responds to a call for a “One Health” approach – an integrated, holistic approach to disease prevention, advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other public health institutions.
Worldwide, more than 60 percent of infectious diseases in people can be spread from animals, and 75 percent of new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals (Centers for Disease Control, USA). In Africa, zoonotic diseases have increased by 63 percent between 2012 and 2022 (WHO).
One reason behind this increase is the fact that Africa’s fast-growing population has created a greater demand for animal-derived food products. And when an outbreak occurs, rising urbanization and improved transport links means disease can spread more rapidly.
Involving religious communities in promoting healthy habits and preventing disease has proven to be effective in several other African countries. For example, a 2023 study published by UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, documented the role of faith communities in tackling HIV in 10 countries. Curious about the examples of other countries, Eustache wanted to study the situation in Côte d’Ivoire, specifically in Bouaké, the second largest city.
“We are putting students at the heart of the project,” explains Eustache, whose project is a partnership with GBUCI, the IFES movement in Côte d’Ivoire.
“When the academic year starts in September, two graduate students in the sociology of health, who are also members of GBU, will be recruited to work with me on the study’s sociological aspects. The findings will be the basis for their master’s thesis. Other students from the national movement will be recruited as volunteers to help with fieldwork and data analysis. It will be an opportunity for them to put their theoretical knowledge into practice and to learn more about the relationship between science and faith.”
So far, Eustache has been training his project team, planning the project and conducting a literature review. The team will spend the next few months conducting surveys and questionnaires among religious leaders and communities, farmers and slaughterhouse staff.
Once the data is analysed, the findings will enable Eustache to make culturally and locally-relevant recommendations for the prevention and control of these types of diseases. He will share his findings through a scholarly article, a presentation at a national public health conference, awareness-raising events and materials for the local community and a workshop for students and researchers that are part of the IFES national movement.
Read short summaries of all LCI projects on our project webpages for Francophone Africa and Latin America.