Traditional Healers Embrace Ancestral Remedies Amid Modern Medicine Challenges
This outbreak, the 17th faced by the DRC, was declared on May 15, impacting 359 individuals and claiming 61 lives, according to the World Health Organization.
In the heart of her garden in Bunia, the capital of the Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, traditional healer Mariam Kabika diligently searches for plants she believes may hold the key to combating the Ebola virus.
“Eucalyptus leaves, avocado leaves, mango leaves, and papaya leaves,” Kabika lists as she collects these natural ingredients amid the latest outbreak centered in this mineral-rich but conflict-ridden region.
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This outbreak, the 17th faced by the DRC, was declared on May 15, impacting 359 individuals and claiming 61 lives, according to the World Health Organization.
Medical personnel, shielded in protective gear, handle the remains of an Ebola victim at Bunia General Hospital, reflecting the urgency surrounding the crisis.
Efforts to control the virus often clash with local suspicions, placing healers like Kabika—trusted and rooted within their communities—at the forefront. These healers play a pivotal role against a disease spread through close human contact.
While no definitive cure exists for the Bundibugyo strain triggering this outbreak, Kabika and her husband, Dauda Tshimanga, advocate for a treatment of their own design.
Ancestors’ Laboratory
Operating from a modest thatched hut, the couple’s practice overflows with amulets, perfumes for warding off spirits, and herbal concoctions.
“We call it the laboratory of the ancestors,” Tshimanga explains. “If the plants don’t heal, we bring patients here to invoke help from our ancestors.”
Inside, a list of ailments, from “sexual weakness” to “typhoid” and now “Ebola,” is painted in red on the wall.
Tshimanga advocates for a plant-based inhalation ritual performed thrice daily over three days as a treatment. Though no patients have tried it during the ongoing outbreak, he claims past successes: “We cured many coming in with bleeding and fever.”
“Traditional medicine remains absent from the official Ebola response, but we stand ready to contribute,” Tshimanga affirms.
Traditional Healers
Referred to as tradi-practitioners, Kabika and Tshimanga are part of an unofficially recognized, yet regulated, profession. In the absence of robust healthcare systems, many in eastern Congo resort to such healers, often attributing ailments to personal vendettas or curses.
Dr. Willy Beiza, a local physician, warns that reliance on traditional remedies can delay essential medical intervention, with patients frequently arriving in dire conditions.
Effective Response
The World Health Organization’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking from Geneva after visiting Bunia, acknowledged the pervasive mistrust among communities. “Some leaders still believe Ebola is not real,” he noted.
With health outreach hindered by violence and skepticism, traditional healers are viewed as valuable allies. The WHO emphasizes that effective containment includes engaging and respecting local customs.
A previous outbreak illustrated how community rituals could aid health efforts, with traditional leaders promoting practices like case isolation and discouraging contact with the deceased and animals.
At present, only about 45% of potential contacts are being monitored, according to WHO data.
“We are encouraging tradi-practitioners to guide patients to medical centers and are equipping them with protective gear,” said Marie Roseline Belizaire, leading emergencies for WHO Africa. Tshimanga reinforces this cooperative spirit: “Ebola is deadly. It demands serious attention.”
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