Communication Strategies Used by The DRC Government During the 2018-2021 Ebola Outbreak in Beni
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Date
2023-08
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Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Daystar University, School ofCommunication
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to identify the communication strategies used by the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to fight the Ebola virus disease in the region of Beni. The objectives of the research were: to establish communication strategies used by DRC Government in fighting Ebola Virus in Beni, determine the impact of communication strategies put in place by the Government of DRC on the Ebola Virus management situation, and find out the challenges experienced by the Government of DRC in the Ebola management in Beni Region. The study used System theory which depicts an entity or organization as a social system that receives input from the external environment. Descriptive research design was used. The target population was the government officials represented by the mayor of the town and the mayor's communication officer together with the specific health staff who worked to fight Ebola in the Beni region. The tool to collect data for the study were questionnaires and interviews in addition to observation. The quantitative data was analyzed using the Statistical Package of the Social Sciences (SPSS. The findings from the study show that the majority of the respondents, 37.3%, mentioned that community engagement was the most effective communication strategy used by the government to eradicate Ebola in the Beni area. The findings revealed that the communication strategies used had a positive impact because many respondents, 51.8%, agreed that without communication strategies, the eradication of Ebola virus is impossible. In terms of challenges, 36.1 % of the respondents, that is the majority, indicated that there were trust issues between the government and the citizens. The study recommends that to eradicate or reduce the spread of the Ebola virus in the Beni region, all the communication strategies should ensure frequent messages are launched in all the languages of the locals to avoid the language barrier and should be made as simple as possible. There is a need for further study on various communication strategies and eradication of the virus in the Beni region and its environs as the disease tends to spread in the neighboring regions.
Description
MASTER OF ARTS
in Communication
Keywords
Communication Strategies, DRC Government, 2018-2021 Ebola, Beni
Citation
Muliro, D. K., (2023). Communication Strategies Used by The DRC Government During the 2018-2021 Ebola Outbreak in Beni: Daystar University, School ofCommunication