Behavioural and emotional responses to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria: a narrative review

This paper reviews the behavioural and emotional responses to the 2014 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Nigeria as documented in scientific publications and portrayed in the media between 21 July 2014 and 30 March 2015. The outbreak generated national interest and there were reports of patients suspected of having Ebola being avoided for fear of contracting the disease, misconceptions about EVD prevention and protests against locations of EVD-treatment centres. Suspected and confirmed EVD patients, as well as healthcare workers (HCW) who treated them, faced stigma and discrimination. The federal and state governments, and their local and international partners, responded promptly with a robust and coordinated prevention and control strategy that included regular dissemination of accurate information and social mobilisation, among others. Although general apprehension about EVD was reported among HCWs in Nigeria, many HCWs eventually volunteered to manage confirmed cases, to trace contacts and to participate in the country's control effort. Local anthropological studies are necessary to determine drivers of social responses to the EVD outbreak in Nigeria.