‘What is anthropology good for?’ Anthropologists working in public health interstices

The public health measures implemented to avoid exposure to or contagion from COVID‐19 are not only alien but also unsuitable to many rural settings in low‐income countries. Social distancing, isolation and increased cleaning are measures that can be applied when people have a home that provides the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSocial anthropology Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 279 - 280
Main Author Hengstermann, Mayari
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Berghahn Books, Inc 01.05.2020
Subjects
Anthropology
Cleaning
Contagion
COVID-19
Diarrhea
Low income groups
Public health
Respiratory diseases
Rural areas
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Summary:The public health measures implemented to avoid exposure to or contagion from COVID‐19 are not only alien but also unsuitable to many rural settings in low‐income countries. Social distancing, isolation and increased cleaning are measures that can be applied when people have a home that provides the opportunity to continue to work remotely, where toilet paper, tissues, hand sanitiser, soap and water are common items in the household. In many rural places, however, people are not only at risk of COVID‐19 but also preventable diseases such as diarrhoea and other respiratory infections. To prioritise needs to mitigate the impact of the virus therefore becomes more difficult when resources and alternatives are lacking.
ISSN:0964-0282
1469-8676
DOI:10.1111/1469-8676.12804