Traditional healers can play a critical role in post Ebola recovery

In many villages in Liberia, it has long been part of the culture for people to routinely search out the services of witch doctors or traditional healers when they are not feeling well. Patients believe they can get better and more affordable treatment, and with access to a basic health care system limited, a traditional healer is the first stop for most when sick. Traditional procedures can include magic, fasting or dieting, bathing, massage, and surgery. Some traditional healers apply blood to the patient’s skin to cure them of their illness.

It is a practice which proved fatal to many traditional healers when Ebola first came to Liberia at the end of March 2014. It was the first time this country had seen Ebola. No one knew what they were dealing with. When people fell sick, many opted for traditional treatments as they did not believe that the disease could be tackled through modern medicine, or because they denied that Ebola was real. As a result, traditional healers, who were treating their patients with potions, herbs, and other sacrifices, died, as did the ones for whom they were caring.

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