Students’ Perception of Mystical and Pathogenic Agents of Disease Causation in Enugu State Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated students’ perception of mystical and pathogenic agents of disease causation. Guided by four research questions and two null hypotheses, the study employed a descriptive survey research design. It was carried out in Obollo-Afor Education Zone of Enugu State of Nigeria. A sample of 370 SS2 Biology students was drawn from the population (4,828) using a proportionate stratified random sampling technique. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire in Likert format whose reliability coefficient was 0.84, determined using Cronbach Alpha. Mean and standard deviation was used to answer the research questions while t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed that students were aware that pathogenic agents such as virus, bacteria, pathogenic fungi, protozoa and some worms cause diseases to man. They had the awareness that some diseases are associated with mystical agents such as oath-breaking, and witches among others. Also, students’ school location had no significant influence on their mean perception scores of the mystical and pathogenic agents of disease causation. These enable students to have a broader knowledge of disease causations and being able to avoid such causes in order to build a healthy sustainable future. Recommendations and conclusion were made.
 Keywords: Students, Biology, Diseases, Mystical Agents, and Pathogenic Agents

The place of African belief and germ theory on the causes of human diseases

“…As seen from the works reviewed so far, some are of the view that germs cause diseases while some maintain that bacteria and viruses are symptoms of diseases rather than the cause; finding a hospitable environment in the ill patient. Anizoba et al (2020) admitted that germs cause the symptoms of disease, but were of the http://www.ve.org.za Open Access view that the real cause is some weakness in the body defences. This creates an impression that vaccines and other preventive measures are pointless.…”