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Sola Aluko-Arowolo1, Olugbenga O. Ogunbote2,
Taiwo Edun3, Akinola Olugbenga Olarenwaju4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15804/rop2022101
UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL PATHOLOGY
OF DISEASE CAUSATION AND SOCIO-CULTURAL
FACTORS OF CORONA VIRUS (COVID-19)
IN SOUTH-WEST, NIGERIA
Key words: Covid-19, Microbe infection, Ethno-religious, Social pathology, fatalism.
ABSTRACT: e new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) started in Wuhan City of
China on December 31st 2019As at August 3,2020 atotal of 18,056,310 million cases had been
diagnosed globally with over 689,219 deaths with cases in Nigeria snowballing gradually beco-
ming lethal. Given Nigeria’s socio-economic and demographic significance to African continent,
it is imperative to understand the cultural norms that may aid or obstructs prevention and
treatment of the disease in order to halt its transmission.
Data for study came from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and other publicly available
data sources supported with PEN-3 cultural model developed in 1989 by Airhihenbuwa. e
model places culture at the core of the development, implementation and evaluation of success-
ful public health interventions.
COVID-19 transmission increases with large population concentration in urban areas and
proximity to major entry points to other adjacent states and countries. e paper suggested that
dominant cultures, civilization and religious practices should be adhered to, adopted as the case
may be for restrictions such physical distancing, hand hygiene, use of face masks and another
prophylactic regimen to flatten the curve of the pandemic in Nigeria and likely occurrence of
similar disease in future.
1 Department of Sociology, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria.
2 Department of Sociology, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria.
3 Department of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, Olabisi Onabanjo University,
Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria.
4 Department of Mass Communication, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye,
Nigeria.
8Sola Aluko-Arowolo et. al.
INTRODUCTION
Responses to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission and
mandatory precautionary measures across Nigeria has not received ade-
quate level of enthusiasm and adherence from the populace due largely to
social, cultural belief and religious dictates. at is, life is aset like ‘tram
lines’ which one cannot escape, and whatever occurrence now or in the
future was pre-defined, destined by designed and cannot be changed.
Disease, sickness and death are interpreted in this light beyond health
contours or the biological malfunctioning of the system and ruptured of
genes; oen these events are interpreted as enemies of society with death
as most devastating contrarian to humankind existence. Alarge compo-
nent of people’s culture on pathology and death in Nigeria and elsewhere
in sub-African societies are intuitively considered as an act of God (Max-
ter, 1990; Beier, 1982). In adeeper meaning therefore, death and diseases
are shrouded in religious mysteries enmeshed in cultural connotation and
outcome of eventuality of “what will be will be” (Balogun, 2018). e
expression of religion depends largely on local/environment of the believ-
ers, involve physical, mental, moral and social conditions of people
involved. Death, though, an eventual terminal point of individuals is
believed to be an inimitable act of God. Afatalism which explains total
deference to God irrespective of the circumstance(s) of death. Disease
occurrence and motivation for health seeking behaviour is also seen from
this prism.
e history of evolution over time points to away of life – some cul-
tural perspectives – dictating the dos and the don’ts of the society. Culture
therefore, is the summation of the belief system, norms and values to
gauge people disposition. It aggregates folklores, nuances and mores which
dictate people way of life from the womb to death. It spells out in details
socialization process; anticipates occurrence of disease and death; it pre-
scribes pathway to healthcare at both prophylactic and therapeutic stages.
Decision making to seek for health intervention on every case is based on
culture and social facts which influence individuals’ illness behaviour and
how people decide to seek for healthcare and follow professional advice(s).
Culture, therefore, as atotal way of life spells out the norms and values of
9Understanding social pathology of disease causation…
society as fundamentally designed to protect individual against vagaries
of life including the occurrences of pandemic disease such as COVID-19.
is however, is in contrary to the public health initiatives which are
framed or ascribed to germ invasion of bodily system, individuals’ health
behaviour, actions or inactions. at is, individuals may be sick or dead
because of poor adherence to preventive regimen or recommended treat-
ment of orthodox doctors (Whembolua, Tshiswaka, Kambamba & Con-
serve, 2015). In this respect no illness particularly is contextually social
and culturally framed but individually determined.
Social pathology of disease transmission on the other hand points to
the role of research to advance medicine, clinical profiles and to devise
new treatment to fight viruses, microbes’ infections of both communica-
ble and non-communicable diseases. To be sure, humanity and pathogens
are noted to share acommon historical evolution and long history
together (Jegede, 2010). Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious
disease caused by anewly discovered coronavirus.e first cases of
COVID-19 disease surfaced in late December 2019 inWuhan city,the
capital of Hubei province in China. e coronavirus disease COVID-19
is caused by avirus that spreads through droplets released when an
infected person coughs or sneezes. Aperson can become infected with
the virus by being in close contact (less than 2 metres) of an infected
person. Infection can also spread by touching asurface or object that an
infected person coughed or sneezed on.e disease is noted to cause
devastating public health impact across the world with death tolls in
hundreds of thousands. In January 30, 2020, the World Health Organiza-
tion acknowledged the virus as apublic health emergency of international
scope and subsequently declared it to be aglobal pandemic.As of August
3,2020,COVID-19 has spread to over 214 countries and territories,caus-
ing over 18,056,310 million cases of infection had been diagnosed glob-
ally with over 689,219 deaths.In Nigeria, as at August 3, 2020, there were
atotal of 44,129 infections with over 883 mortality confirmed cases
spreading across 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which
Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory accounted for 72.9 percent. Lagos
state was the first state in Nigeria reported to have one case of COVID-19
on February 27,2020.
10 Sola Aluko-Arowolo et. al.
It is not unlikely however, that each Nigerian ethnic group would
respond to the disease outbreak such as COVID-19 and its management
from aparticular understanding of their culture, religious practices
including their level of exposure to public health as enunciated in the
modern medicine. In these circumstances, any new health hazard and its
suggested orthodox remedies may be suspected as having the tendency to
disrupt society’s established strategies for managing everyday healthcare
activities. Such that physical distancing of 2 metres, refrain from hands
shake, hugging, closing down of religious centres, quarantine and isolation
for suspected carriers sound novel therefore, may be resisted. Also, inter-
ventions seen to originate from the Europe and north America frequently
spark suspicion in Nigeria, especially in the northern states and trigger
questions about the motivations that underpin them. Memories of the
British colonial occupation certainly matters, as do perceptions of current
geopolitics. e “War on Terror” in the wake of 9/11 for instance, is still
fresh in people’s minds and is widely perceived as primarily ahate cam-
paign against Islam. All these events are noted to vitiate routine ways of
life and practices that assumed to have foreign colours. For instance, there
was mistrust in northern Nigeria towards global public health measures
to eradicate polio in the early 2000s’ which was borne out of widespread
fears, engendered by religious and political leaders, that vaccines were
intentionally compromised with anti-fertility agents and HIV to reduce
the Muslim population. Not until very recently aer two decades, that
WHO declared Nigeria free of polio, the scourge was endemic in the
northern region then. is inuendoes also were muted by some clerics in
Islam, Christianity and traditional faiths that COVID-19 campaign for
prevention may be all along ascam. Having considered the social factors
which influence an individual’s illness behaviour, one still needs to under-
stand how people decide to seek professional advice. One way of approach-
ing this has been to emphasise the role of health beliefs by examining the
role of individual motivations, beliefs and perceptions. However, although
this approach has the virtue of taking the role of individual choice seri-
ously it suffers from an over-rationalistic and individualistic emphasis.
Decision about health and illness cannot usefully be seen as single, once
and for all choice. ere are many factor influencing illness behaviour and
11Understanding social pathology of disease causation…
decision making (such as religion, culture, work and family commitments)
which vary through societies and times. Rather than looking at entry into
the formal health care system in terms of individual rational decision
making at aparticular point in time, it is more useful to think of such
decisions as result of asocial process stretching over aperiod of time
(Zola, 1973). What therefore, appears irrational to orthodox health prac-
titioners may be alocally rational response to uncertainty, or at least, an
attempt to use locally available resources to manage athreatening situa-
tion. Examples of this in the case of Nigeria, is the discovery and the use
of several local herbs, with the believe that the herbs can prevent or cure
COVID 19 infection.e Yoruba of South West Nigeria especiallyputunal-
loyed truston religion, whether indigenous or orthodox, as the ultimate
save haven from diseases, including epidemics. For example, during the
outbreak of the Spanish flu of 1918, the Christians from Yoruba extraction
composed aprayer song, specifically calling on God to mark them out
from the scourge of the epidemic. It goes thus:
Saamiiye
Baba saamiiyesiwalara o
Iku n be lode
Saamiiye
Baba sàamì iyesiwalara o
Lukuluku n be lode
Saamiiye
Baba saamiiyesiwalara o
Give us the mark
Father, give us the mark of life
Death is on the prowl
Give us the mark
Father, give us the mark of life
e flu is on the prowl
Give us the mark
Father, give us the mark of life
12 Sola Aluko-Arowolo et. al.
Insights into all these variablesperhaps would bring an enduring
improvement in health status, redefine the salient but vicious and epi-
demic cycles of disease outbreaks and how to manage the occurrence by
situating it within the contexts of ethnicity, religion, social and cultural
factors. While abetter grasp of cultural practice would help deepen the
social variables and dynamics of trend with the outlook and relationship
in tandem with the global entity and world panorama, there is the need
to understand each culture’s peculiarity. In what way(s) then, might ethno-
religious variables influence epidemiology of disease such as COVID-19,
and possibility of death.And to unravel the enshroudedmystery and sug-
gest exegesis to mitigate occurrence. To answer this, one may want to look
at what are the major social-ethnics and religion influences on health,
pathway to healthcare, individuals’ background experiences of illness,
consequences of healthcare action taken and what are the common or
generalized values attached to death. Additionally, what is the role of
society on individual action and resources provided to mitigate the expe-
riences of illness and disease especially during emergency.
One model that that surmised the above succinctly and stimulates
adeep understanding of the influence of culture on health is the PEN-3
cultural model developed in 1989 by Airhihenbuwa. e model places
culture at the core of the development, implementation and evaluation of
successful public health interventions. It describes the centrality of culture
in health interventions and stipulates three domains of health beliefs and
behaviour that should be taken into account: (1) Cultural Identity,
(2)Relationships and Expectations, and (3) Cultural Empowerment. Each
domain includes three factors that form the acronym PEN; Person,
Extended Family, Neighborhood (for the Cultural Identity domain); Per-
ceptions, Enablers, and Nurturers (for the Relationships and Expectation
domain); Positive, Existential and Negative (for the Cultural Empower-
ment domain) (Whembolua, Tshiswaka, Kambamba & Conserve, 2015).
Within the Cultural Empowerment domain, the study is couched to
investigate health issues and the health behaviour of South Western Nige-
rian dominated by of Yorubaethnic group using the PEN-3 cultural model
as an analytical framework, the objective of the study is to assess the role
played by ethno- religious and socio-environmental factors on death and
13Understanding social pathology of disease causation…
disease through COVID-19 transmissi onto understand the social pathol-
ogy in South-West Nigeria.
COVID 19 INFECTIONS AND PREVENTION PATTERN
IN THE SOUTH-WEST: ETHNO- RELIGIOUS
CONSIDERATIONS
e South-Western part of Nigeria is populated mainly by people of the
Yoruba ethnic group. Politically, the South-West is divided into six states,
namely Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ekìtì. It should be stated that
some Yoruba people are also found in Kwara and Kogi states in the North
Central Zone and Edo State in the South-South Zone of Nigeria. e
Yoruba have been city dwellers for along time, well before the amalgama-
tion of the Southern and Northern Protectorates in 1914. is means they
have been living in large groups for several hundreds of years. e Yoruba,
are homogeneous borne out of centripetal- force- like- association of
people which places premium on the universal good of the society above
the good of individuals. On the other hand, the good of individual is
asub-set of the good of society. Yoruba are highly cosmopolitan with
particular emphasis of collective living and great opportunity of early
contacts with modern education, civilization and modernization. is
conceptual collectivity is partly due to the fact that there is an existing
compendium of mythology (Ifa Corpus) that cogitates the philosophical
understanding of the people to live in perpetual unity.
Agbajo
o
wo
la nso
ya
Ajejeo
wo
kankogbe
ru de ori
It is with the clenched st that one strikes his chest.
One hand cannot put a load on the head.
e preeminence of culture and its putative roles are sacrosanct.
Although, majority of men and women in many Yoruba towns are now
converts of the Christian and Islamic religions. is process started early.
14 Sola Aluko-Arowolo et. al.
By the start of the l9th century, Islam had spread widely in areas under Oyo
control, and in the 1840s Christianity arrived, brought by the Saro (Sierra
Leoneans) and the missions. At the level of the individual, however, tradi-
tional beliefs are more tenacious. For many people, there is nothing incon-
sistent about combining traditional rites at home with church or mosque
attendance, though Christian and Muslim leaders preach against it. Nam-
ing among this ethnic group reflects the inextricableintertwined nature of
traditional beliefs, going side by side with the received doctrines of Islam
and Christianity. An overwhelming majority of Yoruba have both native/
traditional names and religious/foreign names. e Ifa diviner or Babalawo
is still an important source of help and advice, though he now shares his
clientele with Muslim diviners and Christian prophets and Pastors. In the
process of diffusion in Yoruba society, Christianity and Islam have them-
selves been modified. e new religions share organizational similarities
with the old cults, and Yoruba rites of passage have been adapted to fit the
new beliefs. At the level of doctrine, both Christianity and Islam emphasize
elements which are also important in traditional religion, and there are
similarities in the ways in which members of all three religious groups view
the supernatural and their relations with healthcare and wellness. e
beliefs existentially inform health seeking behaviour.
YORUBA HEALTH BELIEFS AND HEALTH
SEEKING BEHAVIOUR
e Yoruba belief about health is closely related to their religious belief.
e believe that it is normal to fall sick or die at one time or the other is
prevalent. ey also believe that illnesses come as aresult of various fac-
tors including sins, natural causes and unnatural causes like someone
wishing the person bad Nigeria (Jegede, 2010). Sickness/disease and death
are regarded as punishment for offence/sins committed, prior the advent
of Islam and Christianity, before the arrival of the Europeans, there was
no disease or medical disorder that the Yoruba traditional medical prac-
titioners (Onis
ègùn/Adahuns
e) could not cure. e practitioners were
learned and versed in the curative preventive powers of herbs, leaves, roots
15Understanding social pathology of disease causation…
and other natural resources. e Yoruba cosmos contains Olorun or Olo-
dumare, the Supreme Deity; the orisa or lesser divinities; ancestral spirits,
and anumber of other categories of spiritual beings. ese are related to
Yoruba beliefs about destiny and reincarnation. Fulfillment of one’s destiny
is achieved through avoiding the wrath of the orisa and the attacks of
witches and sorcerers. is is done with the help of the orisa and the
ancestors, and through piety, divination and sacrifice. Olorun is to the
Yoruba arather distant figure, apparently playing little part in the day-to-
day affairs of men. Idowu (1962) uses the analogy of the Yoruba oba who
is responsible for the affairs of his kingdom, but who has little contact with
his subjects, as most of his dealings with them are through the orisa. He
argues that the orisa are, nevertheless, only the ministers of the deity,
whose supremacy is clearly recognized. He is the creator, the final arbiter
of heavenly and worldly affairs, omniscient, immortal and pure, and the
source of all benefits to mankind (Idowu, 1962, p. 38–56). e number of
orisa worshipped by the Yoruba is very large – about 401deities. ough,
they range in importance from those worshipped by only asingle descent
group in asingle town, to those whose cults are found throughout the
Yoruba land. eir nature and origins are varied. Some are personifications
of natural features, such as hills or rivers, or of natural forces. Others are
divinized heroes given cosmic attributes, such as Sango, the Yoruba divin-
ity of thunder. e important divinities lead hierarchies of minor ones
with similar characteristics, symbols and functions. e ‘hard’ orisa are led
by Ogun, the divinity of iron, hunting and war, while the benign ‚white’
orisa, particularly important to women, are led by Orisanla, the Yoruba
divinity of creation. Each cult has its own rituals, music, oral literature,
dances and divination techniques. To their followers, the orisa bring the
benefits of health, wealth and children, but they punish neglect, impiety
and the breaking of taboos with misfortune, sickness/ disease and death.
However, the most obvious trend in Yoruba religion is the decline of the
traditional cults in the face of Islam and Christianity with majority now
kowtowing the received foreign medical intervention to assuage diseases
and any other biological problems. Even at that there is amixed bag of
healing methods and practices from self-medication, herbal solution,
syncretic healers, to orthodox medical solution. All these factors invari-
16 Sola Aluko-Arowolo et. al.
ably to alarge extend dictate the pattern of COVID19 transmission and
containment in Yoruba, South-West, Nigeria.
PATTERN OF SPREAD
FROM MARCH TO AUGUST 2020
1. Urbanization is amajor factor in the spread of COVID-19 and the
epidemic is not the first that we have experienced in Nigeria. e
Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 is acase in reference. e flu hit Lagos
on the 15th of September, 1918. On 14th October, the flu was diag-
nosed in Onitsha, and by December, 20, it was all over Nigeria.
Because the human being is avital vector, human transportation is
akey factor in the spread of diseases. Initially,there was no clarity
about the factor is of social distancing ad most of the time oen
resisted. Indeed, the cancellation of events likely to attract
crowds,the closure of schools,and working from home help to
curtail the transmission and have adrastic impact on the size of
the susceptible population at any given time.
2. e Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) launched the
#TakeResponsibility campaign in March 2020 to encourage Nigeri
-
ans and residents to take individual and collective responsibility to
reduce the spread of the coronavirus disease. Spread of diseases is
largely influenced by the socio-economic status of the individual,
ethnic tradition/belief and other factors. e spread of each disease
is also affected by traditional medicine, economic base, religion and
culture of the region/town/country. e way asociety reacts to an
epidemic will determine the pattern and extent of the spread. is
reaction is afunction of so many factors, culture, religion, belief,
education/enlightenment, availability of information, access to
information etc. is is very instructive. Many, in the quest for
means of livelihood during the COVID 19 pandemic contracted the
virus. For instance, the 31 workers who got infected in their place
of work at afactory in Ibadan, Oyo State, and the 104 workers who
got the virus at the factory where they work in Sagamu, Ogun State.
17Understanding social pathology of disease causation…
3. Other factors include population density, e Lagos factor(s),
Proximity to Lagos, Belief- socio-cultural/personal, Government
efforts and personal efforts
Pattern of infection in South-Western Nigeria (as at 3August, 2020)
National Confirmed cases 44,129
National Discharged cases 31,609
National Active cases 11,624
National Deaths cases 896
S/N State Cases %Active %Dischar-
ged
%Dead %
1Lagos 15 355 2 057 13 106 192
2Oyo 2 771 1 347 1 396 28
3Ogun 1 407 407 1 176 24
4Ondo 1 204 531 648 25
5Osun 580 374 294 12
6Ekiti 152 83 67 02
Tota l 21,469 48.65 4,557 39.2 16,039 50.6 28.3 31.58
FACTORS AFFECTING SPREAD IN THE SOUTH-WEST,
NIGERIA
1. POPULATION
e population of Lagos State is over 20 million. Lagos is the most popu-
lated state in Nigeria. With the high population, the State has the smallest
land mass in the country. is resulted in very high population density.
e available space per person is so little that disease control will be aher-
culean task.
18 Sola Aluko-Arowolo et. al.
2. THE LAGOS FACTOR(S)MAJOR PORT OF ENTRY
Lagos is amajor gateway to Nigeria. Apart from hosting the largest and
busiest airport in Nigeria, Murtala Mohammed International Airport,
Lagoshandled6,367,478 passengersin2017 (https://www.lagos-airport.
com). Little wonder that COVID-19 index case in Nigeria was that of an
Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to
Lagos, Nigeria on the 25thof February 2020. Similarly, the first COVID-19
death in Nigeria was recorded Monday 23rd March 2020, according to the
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, the case was that of a67-year-old male
who returned home followingmedical treatmentin the UK. “He had
underlyingmedical conditions—multiple myeloma and diabetes and was
undergoing chemotherapy” (NCDC, 2020). It will also be recalled that the
Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 and the deadly Ebola virus were also first
discovered in Lagos.
3. PROXIMITY TO LAGOS
e figures as of 3August, 2020, show that Lagos, Oyo, Ogun and Ondo
States have recorded 15,355, 2771, 1407, 1204 and152 cases respectively,
while Osun and Ekiti states have relatively lower numbers. Aface value
assessment suggests that proximity to Lagos could be astrong factor.Ogun
State, though with not too large population is one of the epicenters of the
COVID- 19 pandemic in Nigeria. Currently the state ranks fourth, con-
sidering the number of infections. is is due to the proximity to Lagos.
Due to the space problem in Lagos, many people who work in Lagos State
live in Ogun State. In fact, Ogun State is the gateway to Lagos. All the roads
leading to Lagos from the Nigerian hinterland pass through one part of
Ogun State or the other.
4. BELIEF-SOCIO-CULTURAL/PERSONAL
e Yoruba are avery communal people. e capitalist orientation of ‘I’ is
strange to the Yoruba culture, rather, the Yoruba place high premium on
19Understanding social pathology of disease causation…
the extended family system. Communal living and interaction are in the
nature of the Yoruba; hence, they have this song:
Farakan mi
Farakan mi
Araisafara
Come closer to me
Come closer to me
We should not be far away from one another
However, in recognition of the outbreak of infectious diseases, there is
another song to counter the notion of the first song:
Arakisafara
Bi i tikòkòrò ko
We should not be far away from one another
Not in the case of an infectious disease.
From this, we can see that traditionally, the Yoruba recognizes that
some diseases are transferrable, and they recognize isolation of infected
members of the community. Leprosy is an infectious disease. In Yoruba
land, lepers are isolated. From the time we started living in cities, the
Yoruba people have been creating lepers’ colonies far away from the city.
Hence, sayings suchas:
A kii so fomodeko ma dete.
To bati le dagbogbe
We do not admonish a young person not to contract leprosy
As long as he/she can live in the forest alone.
Another Yoruba folk song confirms the isolation of lepers.
20 Sola Aluko-Arowolo et. al.
Igbo ladete n gbe
Igbo ladete n gbe
A kiikoleadetesigboro
Lepers live in the forest
Lepers live in the forest
We do not build lepers’ colony in the city.
Amusician, IsimotAbakeAbiola who composed asong specifically on
the Corona virus emphasized the issue of social/physical distancing. e
popular Yoruba saying is that:
Karnkapo
Yiye
nii ye
ni
When we move together
We get many benets.
Lady IsimotAbakeAbiola modified this age long saying. She averred
that during this period of the Corona virus pandemic, it cannot be ben-
eficial to move together, thereby recommending the observation of social
distancing.
Karnkapo
Yiye
nii ye
ni
Bi i tiKron ko.
When we move together
We get many benets.
Not in the case of theCorona virus.
21Understanding social pathology of disease causation…
5. GOVERNMENT EFFORTS
Provision of information – Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)
working in conjunction with the Presidential Task Force on Covid 19 have
not fared badly. ey have worked closely together to formulate policies
for the containment of the spread, treatment and maintenance of infected
cases. Information, enlightenment and orientation agencies, the media
and other non-governmental agencies have developed and communicated
information and enlightenment materialsto educate, inform and warn
members of the public.
6. PROVISION OF FACILITIES
However, the governments failed woefully in the provision of facilities.
e testing facilities are acutely in short supply. As of 15 June, 2020, only
about 96,000 out of apopulation of 207 million have been tested nation-
wide.Given this scenario, so many people are infected already. ey have
not been tested. So, they cannot receive treatment. ey have not been
isolated. ey remain in their communities and continue to spread the
virus, albeit, unknowingly. e result of this is that many people will die
of the virus infection without it being recorded.
7. PERSONAL EFFORTS
ere is evidence that many are following the various guidelines and
policies of government by using mouth and nose covering, avoiding
crowded places such as parties and places of worship, personal sanitation,
which has always been avirtue and core value among the Yoruba. is
pandemic has also promoted the use local herbal preparations which are
believed to cure the symptoms of the viral infection. ough, the idea of
self-medication is dangerous, however, the Yoruba believe that for every
ailment or disease, God has created plants and roots as cure. is they
have been using before the introduction of western medication:
22 Sola Aluko-Arowolo et. al.
S
e
le
ruagbo
Agbaraagbo
LO
s
un n we
mo
re
Ki dokita o to de.
Abimo
ma danasile
O
s
un l npwemo
The O
s
unriver which springs from the ground
The O
s
unriver which ows with vigour
Is what the O
s
un goddess used to bathe her babies
Before we had medical doctors
The one who has a newborn and does not make a re place
That is the O
s
un goddess
CONCLUSION
e health belief as aresult of social values attached to life and death may
be regarded as arational assessments and circumstances of lives. e
outcome of these norms on health and cultures in acapitalist society, like
Nigeria with different social classes and deep-seated inequalities may be
implicative as it plays important role in designing and implementation of
healthcare protocol during communicable diseases like COVID-19,
EBOLA and other microbial diseases. Deference to fatalism and/or denial
of the fact of COVID-19 almost marred the preparation to curtail and
contain its spread when it first broke out as aresult of ethno-religious and
cultural sentiments leading to reluctance and apathy in the response to
COVID-19 protocol. is is because everyday interactions and activities
including health, work and leisure in African societies constitute acom-
pendium of people’s well-being and how to live without disease. Explana-
tion for health conditions have shown that there is relationship between
socio-cultural factors and causes of disease including plague in epide-
miological/pandemic dimension such as covid-19, Ebola, cholera, HIV/
AIDS and utilization of modern health facilities and adherence to preven-
tive measures. e other side of this argument is purely social, such as
23Understanding social pathology of disease causation…
income, occupation and the level of education- where these are lacking or
at very low ebb there is tendency for class differentiation between the poor
and rich. People who are poor depend on the goodwill of few rich people
for life support. us, it is not out of place to be susceptible to feelings of
despair, helplessness, fatalism, anger or shame (Jewson, 1998). Poverty,
apart from acute deprivation also occasions poor emotional and psycho-
logical judgement. e resulting stress, incapacitation for independent
decision – frustration and / low self-esteem may have implications on
healthcare decision making. Relating this to COVID-19 medical regimen
and protocol issues of physical distancing, isolation, quarantine, and so on
may be difficult for the poor especially for those who rely on the few rich
among them as patron saint for their daily upkeeps. is is the case with
the Almajiris in the Northern Nigeria, who daily throng the streets eking-
food. To these of people lockdown is amirage. erefore there is the need
to marry suggested protocols on COVID-19 and treatment with social,
culture and environment of its occurrence for efficacious treatment.
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