A scoping review of cultural issues concerning institutional quarantine and isolation during major multi-country outbreaks in Africa: 2000–2023

Background and Aims

Infectious disease outbreaks pose significant challenges in Africa due to its ecology, socioeconomic conditions, and weak health systems. Implementing institutional quarantine and isolation (Q&I) measures is crucial for managing major outbreaks. However, the cultural context often determines the success of these measures. This scoping review aims to examine existing evidence on the cultural aspects of institutional Q&I in Africa over the past two decades, focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic and other major multi-country disease outbreaks.

Methods

This scoping review's protocol was registered with the Open Science Framework registry. Nine research databases were systematically searched to retrieve all relevant literature, followed by deduplication and a two-stage screening process using the Rayyan web application. The inclusion of any literature into this review was based on a set of eligibility criteria. Also, manual searching of the reference lists of included literature was done to retrieve any other eligible literature. From the included literature, data were charted, collected, and summarized.

Findings

Out of the 787 articles retrieved from the database searches, this review found only one to be eligible for inclusion. Also, no other eligible article was obtained after manual searching of the reference list for this article. The reviewed article presented empirical findings on the impact of COVID-19 Q&I protocols on traditional burial rites in Ghana. Many Ghanaian families were against their country's protocol because they felt it was insensitive to their traditional values and burial practices. Also, the way the protocol was implemented made some Ghanaian families feel that foreign burial practices were imposed on them, which bred feelings of cultural exclusion and neglect (by the government) among Ghanaians.

Conclusion

Research evidence on the cultural implications of Q&I in Africa is very scanty. More research is needed on this topic of public health interest.