NAIROBI, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Wednesday called for coordinated action to counter misinformation and bolster regional response efforts against Ebola virus disease across Africa.
Speaking at a media engagement workshop in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, senior officials from both agencies emphasized that the dissemination of timely, accurate, and verifiable information is critical to reinforcing community-level interventions and containing the spread of the virus.
Convened under the theme "Public Trust, Transparency, and Collective Action in the Ebola Response," the two-day workshop aims to deepen collaboration between public health institutions and media organizations to ensure transparent, evidence-based reporting.
Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, WHO representative to Kenya, emphasized that accurate, evidence-based communication serves as a fundamental pillar of the outbreak response, essential for disrupting transmission chains and preventing fatalities.
"In any outbreak, information is a critical part of the response and even more so for Ebola. It will help decide how people react and seek care early. It will also have implications on whether those who have contact with a case come forward," Kimambo said.
She commended Kenyan authorities for their swift notification to international health bodies regarding the country's first imported Ebola case on Oct. 6.
Kenya confirmed its second Ebola case on Wednesday. The patient, a relative of the first patient who died last week, is under quarantine, according to the Health Ministry.
Highlighting the continued risk of regional transmission, Kimambo underscored that transparent data sharing is paramount to contact tracing and community containment, emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced epidemiological surveillance, rapid diagnostics, and clinical case management.
Wessam Mankoula, director of the Center for Public Health Emergencies and lead of the Continental Incident Management Support Team at the Africa CDC, said that delivering verified and accurate information is crucial for encouraging communities to adopt protective behaviors against the Ebola virus.
Mankoula noted that factual public messaging drives necessary behavior change, helping populations understand transmission dynamics and effectively disrupt infection chains. ■