‘Ebola not caused by witchcraft’

A rights group in the United Kingdom (UK), the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network (WHRIN), has called for more enlightenment on the Ebola virus.

WHRIN’s Executive Director Gary Foxcroft said superstitious beliefs and inadequate health facilities may lead to the spread of the virus.

The activist urged the United Nations (UN) bodies, governments, aid agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs) to demystify the causes of the outbreak.

He noted that proper enlightenment would enable communities to understand that the disease is not caused by witchcraft to curb its spread.

“Ebola is not caused by witchcraft. Rather, it is an infectious disease with a rational, scientific explanation of how it was created, how it is spread and how it can be treated. There is a huge amount of work that needs to be done to demystify the medical condition that is commonly associated with witchcraft across West Africa. They need to use all media tools at their disposal to send a strong message to communities,” Foxcroft said.