Traditional healers and the management of sexually transmitted diseases in Nairobi, Kenya
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Date
2003Author
Kusimba, J
Voeten, HA
O'Hara, HB
Otido, JM
Habbema, JD
Ndinya-Achola Jeckoniah O.
Bwayo, JJ
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
To describe the role of traditional healers in STD case management, in-depth interviews were held with 16 healers (seven witchdoctors, five herbalists and four spiritual healers) in four slum areas in Nairobi, Kenya. All healers believed that STDs are sexually transmitted and recognized the main symptoms. The STD-caseload varied largely, with a median of one patient per week. Witchdoctors and herbalists dispensed herbal medication for an average of seven days, whereas spiritual healers prayed. Thirteen healers gave advice on sexual abstinence during treatment, 11 on contact treatment, four on faithfulness and three on condom use. All healers asked patients to return for review and 13 reported referring patients whose conditions persist to public or private health care facilities. Thus, traditional healers in Nairobi play a modest but significant role in STD management. Their contribution to STD health education could be strengthened, especially regarding the promotion of condoms and faithfulness
URI
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12665444http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/16700
Citation
Int J STD AIDS.2003 Mar;14(3):197-201Publisher
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Nairobi,
Collections
- Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) [10378]