Lee-Kwan Seung Hee, DeLuca Nickolas, Bunnell Rebecca, Clayton Heather B, Turay Alhaji Sayui, Mansaray Yayah
a Epidemic Intelligence Service , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta , Georgia , USA.
b Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta , Georgia , USA.
J Health Commun. 2017;22(sup1):24-30. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2016.1209601.
Sierra Leone was heavily affected by the Ebola epidemic, with over 14,000 total cases. Given that corpses of people who have died from Ebola are highly infectious and given the extremely high risk of Ebola transmission associated with direct contact with bodies of people who have died of Ebola, community acceptance of safe, dignified medical burials was one of the important components of efforts to stop the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone. Information on barriers and facilitators for community acceptance of safe, dignified medical burials is limited. A rapid qualitative assessment using focus group discussions (FGDs) explored community knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards safe and dignified burials in seven chiefdoms in Bo District, Sierra Leone. In total, 63 FGDs were conducted among three groups: women >25 years of age, men >25 years of age, and young adults 19-25 years of age. In addition to concerns about breaking cultural traditions, barriers to safe burial acceptance included concerns by family members about being able to view the burial, perceptions that bodies were improperly handled, and fear that stigma may occur if a family member receives a safe, dignified medical burial. Participants suggested that providing opportunities for community members to participate in safe and dignified burials would improve community acceptance.
塞拉利昂受到埃博拉疫情的严重影响，总病例数超过14000例。鉴于死于埃博拉的人的尸体具有高度传染性，且与直接接触死于埃博拉的人的尸体相关的埃博拉传播风险极高，社区对安全、体面的医疗葬礼的接受度是塞拉利昂阻止埃博拉疫情努力的重要组成部分之一。关于社区接受安全、体面的医疗葬礼的障碍和促进因素的信息有限。一项使用焦点小组讨论（FGD）的快速定性评估探讨了塞拉利昂博城七个酋长领地社区对安全、体面葬礼的知识、态度和做法。总共在三组人群中进行了63次焦点小组讨论：25岁以上的女性、25岁以上的男性以及19至25岁的年轻人。除了担心打破文化传统外，接受安全葬礼的障碍还包括家庭成员担心无法观看葬礼、认为尸体处理不当，以及担心如果家庭成员接受安全、体面的医疗葬礼可能会出现污名化。参与者建议为社区成员提供参与安全、体面葬礼的机会将提高社区的接受度。
