Konzo: Local perceptions of illness causation and treatment in Kahemba, Democratic Republic of Congo
Konzo is “a distinct neurological entity with selective upper motor neuron damage, characterized by an abrupt onset of an irreversible, non-progressive, and symmetrical spastic para/ tetraparesis” (Nzwalo et al., 2011: 1). First identified in the Bandundu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), it remains today a significant health issue in the affected areas although it is a rare and globally neglected disease. Medical research explains the disease as a food (cassava) related disorder. Konzo is the result of a chronic intoxication of cyanides due to shortly processed cassava, which interacts with poor diet, and malnutrition. Illness, understood as the personal and subjective experience, is a largely understudied and invisible dimension of konzo. Consequently, the suffering that konzo adds to the hardship of Congolese life has remained silent and unheard. This thesis brings to light konzo as an illness considering ad personam causality and ad hoc treatment in Kahemba, the most affected area in DRC.
Konzo: Local perceptions of illness causation and treatment in Kahemba, Democratic Republic of Congo
Konzo is “a distinct neurological entity with selective upper motor neuron damage, characterized by an abrupt onset of an irreversible, non-progressive, and symmetrical spastic para/ tetraparesis” (Nzwalo et al., 2011: 1). First identified in the Bandundu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), it remains today a significant health issue in the affected areas although it is a rare and globally neglected disease. Medical research explains the disease as a food (cassava) related disorder. Konzo is the result of a chronic intoxication of cyanides due to shortly processed cassava, which interacts with poor diet, and malnutrition. Illness, understood as the personal and subjective experience, is a largely understudied and invisible dimension of konzo. Consequently, the suffering that konzo adds to the hardship of Congolese life has remained silent and unheard. This thesis brings to light konzo as an illness considering ad personam causality and ad hoc treatment in Kahemba, the most affected area in DRC.
