A Review of Infectious Diseases Associated with Religious and Nonreligious Rituals

Gajurel, Kiran; Deresinski, Stan

doi:10.1155/2021/1823957

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Religious beliefs could potentially influence perceptions, actions, and subsequent One Health outcomes. Religion and religious rituals have been associated with infections and infectious diseases such as RVF, Ebola, and COVID-19 ( 47 ). Religion emerged as a key factor influencing the practices of the actors involved in the study.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, perceptions, and practices around zoonotic diseases among actors in the livestock trade in the Lake Victoria crescent ecosystem in East Africa

Majiwa,

Bukachi,

Omia

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundZoonotic diseases such as anthrax, rabies, brucellosis, and Rift Valley fever pose a direct threat to health and undercut livelihoods in the communities in which they occur. A combination of anthropogenic and animal activities like migration and interaction with wildlife and their respective parasites and vectors drives the emergence and re-emergence of zoonotic diseases. Consequently, One Health interdisciplinary approaches that incorporate social scientists can provide key insights into complex local perceptions. The approach calls for collaboration between the human and animal health sectors, including the sharing of disease surveillance data necessary to alleviate disease impacts. Livestock traders interact closely with livestock, which puts them at elevated risk of infection and creates conditions by which they may spread zoonotic disease. It is thus essential to examine practices among actors involved in the livestock trade to understand the most appropriate ways to mitigate these risks.MethodsA qualitative study was conducted among the actors in the livestock trade in Busia County on their knowledge and perceptions of zoonotic diseases and practices that may contribute to the spread, control, and prevention of zoonotic disease transmission. A thematic analysis framework was used to categorize and synthesize data from in-depth interviews (IDIs), key informant interviews (KIIs), and structured observations.ResultsWhereas participants could list livestock diseases, they could not identify which ones were zoonoses, demonstrating insufficient knowledge of zoonosis. They identify sick animals by checking for dropped ears, excess mucus production, diarrhea, bloody urinal discharge, and general animal activity levels. To prevent the spread of these diseases, they wash their animals, isolate sick animals from the rest of the stock, and vaccinate their animals. They seek help from animal health professionals for sick animals as part of curative practices. This shows that they perceive the diseases as serious and that they need to be attended to by professionals. The results also show that they perceive animals from outside the region to be more vulnerable to diseases compared to those from within. The actors in the livestock trade engage in practices like skinning dead animals before burying them; to them, this is a normal practice. Some also consume dead carcasses. These increase the risk of zoonotic disease transmission.ConclusionThe actors involved in the livestock trade are critical in the prevention and elimination of zoonotic diseases; hence, they need to be involved when developing intervention programs and policies for animal health extension services. Training them as a continuum of animal health workers blends lay and professional knowledge, which, alongside their intense contact with large numbers of animals, becomes a critical disease surveillance tool. Increasing awareness of zoonoses by using multi-disciplinary teams with social scientists is urgently needed so that practices like skinning dead animals before disposing of them and consumption of dead carcasses can be minimized.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Knowledge, perceptions, and practices around zoonotic diseases among actors in the livestock trade in the Lake Victoria crescent ecosystem in East Africa

Majiwa,

Bukachi,

Omia

et al. 2024

Front. Public Health

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“…As in other Christian religions, for Catholics, holy water is water that has been blessed by a priest and is used for baptism and to bless people, churches, homes, and objects of devotion (Jurado et al 2002, Kirschner et al 2012. Some studies have presented holy water as a potential source of infection with pathogenic organisms (Rees and Allen 1996, Greaves and Porter 1992, Michel et al 2013, Gajurel and Deresinski 2021. Due to COVID -19 concern, many churches emptied their holy water fonts and, in some churches, a non-contact holy water dispenser was installed (Pullella 2020;Drogo 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nekatere študije so blagoslovljeno vodo prepoznale kot potencialni vir okužbe s patogenimi organizmi (Rees in Allen 1996, Greaves in Porter 1992, Michel in sod. 2013, Gajurel in Deresinski 2021. Zaradi zaskrbljenosti zaradi COVID-19 so številne cerkve izpraznile kropilnike za blagoslovljeno vodo, v nekaterih cerkvah so celo namestili brezkontaktne razdelilnike blagoslovljene vode (Pullella 2020, Drogo 2022).…”

Section: Povzetekunclassified

“…However, it is well known that water is both a reservoir and source of pathogens that can lead to transmission of infectious diseases (Denham et al 2013). Holy water has also been identified as a potential source of microbial and viral infections, including COVID-19 (Gajurel and Deresinski 2021). As early as the late 19th century, bacteriologist L. Vincenzi found large numbers of microbes -staphylococci, streptococci, coli bacilli, Klebs-Loeffler bacillus (Corynebacterium diphtheriae), and other bacteria -in samples of holy water from a church in Sassari, Italy (Leffmann 1898).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aerobic bacteria in holy water from Catholic churches in Slovenia

Turk,

Podgrajšek,

Gostinčar

et al. 2022

ABS

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Holy water plays an important role in various religions. It is used for baptisms, to bless people, places and objects. In Catholic churches, it is usually offered in the holy water fonts at the entrance of the church. But it is also considered a source of potential pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumanii and enterobacteria. To estimate the potential risk, we studied the composition and antimicrobial resistance of bacteria in holy water from fonts and reservoirs of ten selected Catholic churches in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Bacterial contamination of holy water from fonts was moderate (102 - 105 CFU ml-1), but one to two orders of magnitude higher than in reservoirs, probably due to frequent immersion of fingers in the water. Some genera/species occurred only in fonts (Acinetobacter beijerinckii, A. haemolyticus, Brevundimonas aurantiaca, B. mediterranea, Delftia, Kocuria, Sphingobacterium, Staphylococcus warneri), while few fecal indicator bacteria were isolated. Isolated bacteria have relatively low pathogenic potential, some of them are skin commensals. Bacterial strains isolated in this study were susceptible to antibiotics.While according to our results, the potential of holy water for spreading bacterial infections is modest, to further limit the risks, water should be changed regularly, the fonts cleaned thoroughly, and the water should not be brought in contact with the eyes, ingested or aerosolized and inhaled.

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The Role of Religions in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review

Sisti

Buonsenso

Moscato

et al. 2023

IJERPH

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Culture, religion and health are closely intertwined, profoundly affecting people’s attitudes and behaviors as well as their conception and experience of illness and disease. In order to analyze the impact of religion in the current COVID-19 pandemic, we performed a literature review investigating both the scientific and grey literature on the topic. COVID-19 outbreaks reported in pilgrimages and religious ceremonies around the world—especially in the first wave of the pandemic wave—and the role played by religion in conveying culturally sensitive information about COVID-19 are some of the evidence we reviewed. Our research highlights how religions have represented, on the one hand, a risk for the spread of the virus and, on the other, a precious opportunity to engage people, and in particular minorities, in fighting the pandemic. To overcome this pandemic and to be prepared for similar ones in the future, scientists, politicians and health professionals should acknowledge the role that culture and religion play in people’s lives and how it can assist in tackling complex health challenges.

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A Review of Infectious Diseases Associated with Religious and Nonreligious Rituals

Cited by 3 publications

References 86 publications

Knowledge, perceptions, and practices around zoonotic diseases among actors in the livestock trade in the Lake Victoria crescent ecosystem in East Africa

Knowledge, perceptions, and practices around zoonotic diseases among actors in the livestock trade in the Lake Victoria crescent ecosystem in East Africa

Aerobic bacteria in holy water from Catholic churches in Slovenia

The Role of Religions in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review

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