Ebola at Mbarara,Uganda: Aesthetic Expressions of the Lived Worlds of People Waiting to Know

Abstract

The Ebola epidemic of 2000 was a disastrous experience for the people of Uganda. Prior outbreaks in neighboring African sub-Saharan countries heightened the realization of death from this devastating disease. Waiting to know is a phenomenon described as an excruciating inactivity uniquely experienced by individuals who were exposed to persons with Ebola but who had not yet exhibited signs and symptoms of the disease. In the recent Ebola epidemic in Uganda, contact persons described their experience of waiting to know as “helplessness in anticipation and fear of dying or premature death; agonizing and languishing over losing relatives, friends, and loved ones; trusting no one; and helplessness and hopelessness with the persisting time.” In this column, these experiences will be discussed, and visual artworks will further illustrate the lived experience of waiting to know. Human and artistic expressions facilitate understanding of lived experience, and understanding is known to inspire meaningful, compassionate, and competent nursing practice.

Keywords

art Ebola virus lived worlds nursing

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