WHAT WE KNOW vs WHAT WE DO The Ebola outbreak has struck the entire population with panic and confusion. From my observation, most of the confusion is influenced by what we know (information we get) vs what we do (translating the information to practice). Cognizant that these are influenced by ethnicity, religion, belief, culture, language, age and gender, it is important to note that these factors need to be taken into consideration when communicating issues as foreign as Ebola. They will help to assess, plan, implement and evaluate the care and support services provided. While I applaud the government of Liberia through the Ebola Taskforce, Ministry of Health and all partners, I wish to suggest that our Ebola Response communication take into consideration language, literacy, beliefs, culture, age, gender, geographic, media preference and accessibility to information of the people. While noting that people’s knowledge and practices have the tendency to underpin the implementation of any response plan. Let us also consider that Ebola preventive measures (no handshaking, no physical contact with the sick, no contacts with people) are quite contrary to traditional practices. (a word from an oldman)
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:21:16 +0000
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