Challenge
Ebola virus disease (EVD or Ebola) is a rare but severe illness that can have a very high death rate.
People with symptoms of Ebola must get medical care immediately. Early care improves a person’s chances of surviving – as key strains of Ebola can be prevented with vaccines and treated with medicines.
However in some local communities within African countries that experienced outbreaks, misconceptions and misunderstandings existed about the disease. Fear, stigma and a lack of understanding of what to do were common.
Education about the effectiveness of vaccination and treatment – and the best place to get treated – would be crucial to help save lives and slow the spread of the disease.
Solution
An effective vaccine for the Zaire type of Ebola, mostly found in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo exists. These medicines are given intravenously and increase the chances of survival.
WHO asked ASM to help promote the role of vaccines and treatments in helping people survive – during the 2018–2020 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Given low levels of literacy in some local communities affected, ASM creatives developed a series of simple and highly visual materials with a simple message – Ebola vaccines and treatments are effective and can save lives. But you need to act quickly if you have symptoms and go to a treatment centre immediately.
Case-studies of local people who had been treated and survived – were used to humanise the message.
Impact
The provision (and communication of) effective Ebola vaccines and treatments – working alongside a broader set outbreak response measures – was ultimately successful in helping combat the Ebola outbreak of 2018-2020.
It is likely that many thousands of lives were saved.