This research aims to elucidate the meaning of elephantiasis of the breast for women in rural Niger. A narrative interview with a woman suffering from elephantiasis of the breast, and participant observation in a village in rural Niger, were conducted using micro-ethnography.
The woman experienced “repeated pain during every pregnancy” as well as “the death of her children caused by the denaturation of her breast milk” under “the absence of proper treatment”. In addition, she suffered from the constant “fear of life without a child” in a village that values children as a fortuitous gift from God. She chose pregnancy voluntarily shortly after her child's death despite her anticipation of pain and the death of another child ; “her torment which no-one else can understand” has never ended.
Elephantiasis due to lymphatic filariasis manifests in different part of body such as legs, scrotum and breast, etc. The meaning of the suffering caused by disability due to elephantiasis varies according to the part afflicted. In the case of elephantiasis of the breast, cultural, social and economic systems and their interactions, which are related to breastfeeding, influence the meaning because elephantiasis of the breast affects breastfeeding. It is important to provide services at the community level and to develop a health education program taking account of patient's multi-faceted disability and pain. Efficient and holistic care will enable a thorough integration of a filariasis program into maternal and child health services.
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