Using Media and Communication to Respond to Public Health Emergencies: Lessons Learned from Ebola

On 27 August, UNICEF conducted a Training of Trainers – or “ToT” – on Ebola outreach for over 50 adolescent girls, boys and community leaders in West Point and New Kru Town - two communities in Monsterrado County that have experienced high rates of Ebola infections. UNICEF’s primary targets during these ToTs were members of agency-supported girls clubs. Since the ToTs, a total of 300 girls have been trained and deployed by UNICEF’s implementing partners to conduct outreach in the two communities. All 300 have been equipped with flipbooks and posters to support their door-to-door efforts. UNICEF is proud of the role these young leaders are playing in the fight against Ebola. In this photo, a member of the New Kru Town girls club shows off her recently acquired flipbook. Nearly six months since the start of the first Ebola outbreak, over 3,500 suspected, probable and confirmed Ebola cases have been reported in all of Liberia’s 15 counties, including in the capital city of Monrovia. Alarmingly, this figure reflects an 11-fold increase in cases in the last two months alone. Sixty per cent of the probable and confirmed cases have resulted in death and, as of 26 September, 183 health workers had been affected by the disease and 92 of them had died. Raising awareness and encouraging key behaviour changes are two major tactics in the battle against this deadly disease, but they are not the only tactics. Ensuring Liberians are equipped with the hygienic materials they need to protect themselves against the virus; that Ebola Treatment Units (ETUs) and general health facilities are stocked with life-saving medical, hygienic and sanitation supplies; and that people affected by Ebola, including children, receive the support they need to reintegrate into society and lead productive lives, are all equally important interventions. UNICEF Liberia’s Health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Supply and Child Protection experts are all heavily engaged in these