Knowledge, Myths and Misconceptions of Ghanaians about Tuberculosis

Type Journal Article - International Journal of Advanced Physiology and Allied Sciences
Title Knowledge, Myths and Misconceptions of Ghanaians about Tuberculosis
Author(s)
Volume 2
Issue 1
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2014
Page numbers 24-30
URL http://medical.cloud-journals.com/index.php/IJAPAS/article/viewFile/Med-167/pdf
Abstract
Systematic review was performed to evaluate Ghanaian’s knowledge, myths and
misconception about tuberculosis and their impact on the country. Several themes were observed,
and fear of infection appears to be the most common cause of stigma. Some regions and groups of
people in Ghana record low level of knowledge about tuberculosis. The study revealed certain
community norms that lead to stigmatization of tuberculosis victims, and are thought to hinder TB
control in Ghana. TB is believed among some Ghanaians as a spiritual disease, whiles others also
believe that the cause of the disease is an ancestral punishment and this imparts an attitude of not
seeking medical care. A major setback to successful TB control in many Ghanaian societies is the
stigma attached to the disease. Because of fear of infection, most Ghanaian community members
harbor the view that TB patients should not mingle freely with people in the society, and they are also
deprived of many public and social amenities. The cause of TB should not be misunderstood and
treated as a mystery. The disease is curable; therefore health care providers and stakeholders should
act as destigmatizers and empower the people by reaching them with mass health education to allay
their fears about it. Comprehensive literature review on the topic was conducted from ScienceDirect,
PubMed, and Google Scholar.

Related studies

»