THE DIFFICULTIES OF COMPILING A GLOSSARY OF DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH SEXUAL INTERCOURSE IN CHIAWA, RURAL ZAMBIA

It is increasingly appreciated that health interventions need to be se nsitive tb cultural perceptions of diseases and local disease terminol ogy. This paper examines linguistic and conceptual problems encountere d when researchers in rural Zambia try to develop a glossary which cor relates biomedical terms for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) with local terms for diseases associated with sexual intercourse. Problems arise because it is difficult to establish definite connections betwe en local names and actual biomedical STDs. This paper attempts to draw up a delimited glossary of local terms for diseases associated with s exual intercourse in a rural Zambian community and explore compatibili ty with the biomedical glossary used in local, formal health facilitie s. The local terms fall into three broad categories. The first categor y comprises generic terms, the second symptomalogical terms, and the t hird category consists of folk concepts associated with moral digressi on. The concluding analysis speculates on the advantages of health sta ff being taught the glossary of local terms to use in their consultati ons with STD patients to facilitate dialogue between health staff and patients, and, perhaps, effective treatment of STDs. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.