A SOCIAL listening report by Nigeria Health Watch has recommended improved communication to address information gaps and ensure that the public has access to reliable guidance during the Ebola response.
The report, made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), identified gaps in public information on the response, including awareness of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) 6232 hotline.
The report covered online conversations monitored between Oct. 20 and Oct. 22 following the confirmation of an imported case of Bundibugyo Ebola in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It recorded 927 Ebola-related mentions out of 2,442 mentions captured during the monitoring period.
According to the report, discussions on contacts and tracing accounted for 314 mentions, while airports, travel and borders accounted for 239 mentions.
It said 162 mentions concerned money, politics and mistrust, while 57 referenced the NCDC’s 6232 hotline.
The report also found that discussions on money, politics and mistrust increased from 10 per cent of Ebola-related mentions during the initial Tuesday evening period to 26 per cent on Thursday morning.
It identified questions about the reported N10 billion Ebola response fund, guidance for health facilities and contact-tracing figures.
Other concerns included public awareness of the hotline, vaccine availability for the Bundibugyo strain and the risk of stigma.
The report said health workers were seeking clearer guidance on case definitions, personal protective equipment and referral procedures for suspected cases.
It also highlighted differences between the 44 close contacts initially reported and 46 contacts subsequently mentioned in connection with a no-fly list.
The report said 128 mentions addressed how Ebola spreads, including explanations that the virus is not airborne.It noted that the findings reflected online conversations captured during the monitoring period and did not necessarily represent the views of the wider Nigerian population. (NAN)
