Indigenous Knowledge of Medicine for COVID-19 or Related Disease in Benishangul Gumuz Regional State: Phenomenological Design

PURPOSE: Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory viral infectious disease transmitted by respiratory and fomites. The incidence of this disease is growing exponentially and affects millions of the world population. Consequently, it has become most urgent public health risk. Thus, the intention of this research is searching indigenous knowledge on COVID-19 and related infectious disease prevention and mitigation mechanisms which were not scientifically known. Therefore, this study targeted to explore local traditional knowledge of (COVID-19) or related diseases in the study area. METHODS: Phenomenological design was used to explore traditional knowledge of medicine. The source populations were all elder peoples, who were known for their traditional medicine. The individuals were purposively selected from source population by using snowball sampling technique. Since study was qualitative method, the sample size was determined by the level of saturation of information as result 40 study participants were interviewed and recorded their audio using tape recorder. Then, data were analyzed using a thematic analysis with a combination of inductive and deductive methods. RESULTS: The study reveals that coronavirus like disease was appeared past times. Such diseases were called “Alwoba” or “Marya” which is named by the local language and it has similar signs and symptoms with coronavirus disease. The key informants reported that traditional medicines were available that cured those diseases. This study infers there had been COVID-19 related diseases about 100 years back because those diseases had a similar symptoms and ways of transmission with COVID-19. They use different types of traditional medicines for those diseases which have been inherited to generations and cured them. CONCLUSION: This evidence explored that the existence of traditional medicine for COVID-19 related diseases. Hence, this study strongly suggested that to undertake experimental research for medical approval on the available traditional medicine.