Ebola: How a People's Science Helped End an Epidemic (African Arguments) - Softcover

Paul Richards is emeritus professor of technology and agrarian development at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He is the author of No Peace, No War: An Anthropology of Contemporary Armed Conflicts, among other books.
 

“A valuable reflection of the experiences of affected communities and aid workers in Sierra Leone. This book is a must for all disease control professionals in Africa and beyond. The book is also exceptionally well written and easily accessible to interested novices.” (Ger J. Steenbergen, First Secretary of Health, Netherlands Embassy in Ghana)

“Richards convincingly argues the broader lesson for containing future epidemics should always be a response embracing ‘common sense, improvisation, distributed practical knowledge, and collective action.’” (Publishers Weekly)

“Ebola’s focus on the comparatively poorly documented role of local responses to the epidemic makes it a must-read for all involved in epidemics, epidemiology and public health. . . . Richards wisely nods to the key role of national and international epidemic control. But his central thesis is that rapid local adaptation and common sense led to the Ebola epidemic’'s downturn. He terms this community action a ‘people's science’ of Ebola control. The book abounds with real-life examples from his long-term research in Sierra Leone.” (Nature)

“Richards offers important insights, especially concerning the central issue of burial practices, one of the epidemic’s main routes of infection. . . . Richards’s argument is a surprisingly optimistic one. The Ebola epidemic pitted an underfunded and sluggish international public-health infrastructure against supposedly ignorant rural communities. Doomsday did not result.” (Economist)

“In this provocative book, Richards argues that the international response may actually have extended the epidemic’s duration, as it offered no medical solution (no cure or vaccine is yet available) and slowed the ability of the affected populations to develop the cultural and behavioral adaptations that were ultimately the key to defeating the virus—for example, changes to practices around care for the ill and burial of the dead. Too often, the well-intentioned international response was shaped by a top-down logic that sought to impose novel practices on people rather than work with them to adapt their existing customs to the new reality.” (Foreign Affairs)

“Richards a lifelong aid worker and researcher, has penned a foundational text informed by his years of experience in Africa—specifically, Sierra Leone. . . . The work’s key strength is that it provides a strong profile on local knowledge as it relates to community health and population health in times of epidemic.” (Choice)

“[A] first-hand analysis of the complicated situation that arose from the outbreak, a fascinating story of the success and failures of experts, volunteers, and village people. . . . Eye-opening reading.” (Medicine, Conflict and Survival)

“In this provocative book, Richards argues that the international response may actually have extended the epidemic’s duration.” (Foreign Affairs)

“Excellent and innovative. . . . Thoroughly researched.” (The Conversation)

“Ebola is not, however, a story of the epidemic, even if much of the story is woven into it. It is rather a handbook and a message of instruction for handling future outbreaks.” (Times Literary Supplement)