Patients' beliefs about illness matter: the case of elephantiasis in rural Ghana

By Kristi Heather Kenyon, Associate Professor, Human Rights, University of Winnipeg
Alexander Kwarteng, Senior Lecturer in Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
Colleen McMillan, Scientific Co-Director and Associate Professor, University of Waterloo
Mary Asirifi, Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing Foundations, MacEwan University
Regiane Garcia, Research Associate, focus on health rights, laws and policies, Simon Fraser University

In rural Ghana, only 18% of patients believe elephantiasis is a disease. Some others think it is caused by curses or even rain. Only by understanding local beliefs can it be treated effectively.

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