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🇨🇩 DR Congo /Health & Science

NGO Hands For Help alerts on the 'normalization' of Ebola

From Radio Okapi · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • The NGO Hands For Help warns that the Ebola virus disease is becoming normalized in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • The organization stresses the need for increased communication and community engagement to raise awareness of the dangers.
  • Hands For Help urges community leaders to spread positive messages, promote prevention, and combat misinformation.

The NGO Hands For Help has raised an alarm, stating that the Ebola virus disease is becoming increasingly normalized in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Speaking on Radio Okapi, the organization highlighted that despite the epidemic's virulence, populations are no longer sufficiently sensitized or informed about its dangers.

Nicole Lufungi, program manager at Hands For Help, emphasized the critical need for mobilization around communication. "Community acceptance and engagement are the foundation of any operation," she stated, calling for communication efforts to match the intensity of the initial Ebola outbreak to reawaken public consciousness of the threat.

The NGO has urged community leaders in Beni, North Kivu, to disseminate positive and responsible messages. These messages should focus on raising awareness of Ebola's risks, encouraging preventive measures like handwashing and symptom vigilance, and actively combating rumors and disinformation.

As part of this initiative, Hands For Help has distributed approximately ten handwashing kits to community representatives. These kits are intended for installation in public and community spaces to bolster prevention efforts against the deadly virus.

We must mobilize much and more around communication because community acceptance and community engagement are the basis of any operation.

— Nicole LufungiHighlighting the importance of communication in combating the Ebola epidemic.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Radio Okapi in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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