Paper short abstract:

Based on the assumption that disease is a biocultural phenomenon and social factors generally play a crucial role in the emergence and spread of disease, our study focused on the One health approach to analyses human and environmental interactions related to the emergence of Buruli ulcer.

Paper long abstract:

In a globalized context characterized by a high mobility of human beings and animal species, growing ecological concerns and the (re-)emergence of infectious diseases show that health problems should be tackled as a whole, taking into consideration medical and biological, but also social, cultural and political processes. The One health approach characterized by the human-animal-environment nexus is likely to bring responses to this complex whole and interconnectedness.

Based on the assumption that disease is a biocultural phenomenon and social factors generally play a crucial role in the emergence of disease, this contribution analyses human and environmental interactions related to the emergence of Buruli ulcer (BU), in endemic areas of Cote d'Ivoire. The contribution draws on research conducted since 2012 in four endemic health districts in southern and Central Côte d'Ivoire (Taabo, Daloa, Sinfra and Bouaké). It aims to highlight the interconnections between ecosystems, local knowledge, human activities and the emergence of Buruli ulcer. Specifically, it focuses on the ethno-ecological history of the emergence of Buruli ulcer as well as on domestic and socio-professional activities exposing populations to risks of contracting BU.

From the findings, we argue that a combination of social, ecological, demographic and economic factors such as poverty, migration patterns, environmental change or cessation of religious practices is critically important in the emergence of BU.

Finally, incorporating the social sciences into one health approaches can help address topics such as human-animal relations, environmental in the emergence of diseases in a better way than ever before.

This paper was developed in collaboration with Gilbert Fokou.