Communal Relationships and the Spread of Infectious Diseases in Nigeria: A Qualitative Study

Background: Previous studies have examined the effect of communal care in the treatment of non-infectious diseases; however, only a few have investigated how communal relationship variables increase the spread of infectious diseases in sub-Saharan African countries. This study investigated how communal relationships increased the spread of infectious diseases and hindered compliance with socio-medical control measures in Nigeria. Methods: This study adopted qualitative tools— organized six different Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) (60 discussants) and interviewed 16 participants (IDIs) in 40 communities with the highest number of outbreaks of infectious diseases between 2000 and 2020 in Nigeria. Results: This study revealed that the spread of this outbreak is due to socio-communal and cohesion roles, common emotions and we-feeling, common residence and shared occupation environments, and a sense of belongingness and group relationships. Conclusion: Limited success in controlling infectious diseases was possible because of people's perceptions of socio-medical control. There is a need to eliminate health-related myths and reduce extreme communal ties to curb the spread of infectious diseases.