Quiz 5: Communication and Community engagement

Please choose the one, most correct answer to each question or statement.

Why is it important to establish clear communication with the public?
- It helps to reduce confusion and panic
- It helps to promote the local political leaders
- It assists in raising international funds to fight the epidemic
- It helps to prevent rioting and damage to health facilities
An important benefit from communicating with the community is:
- It enables as many people as possible to leave the area
- It prevents legal action against the health authorities
- Shared information helps prevent the spread of the disease
- People can store food and buy other essentials
Who should be informed of the outbreak?
- Only the national minister of health
- Only the local health authorities
- Only the local community leaders
- All the local stakeholders
The outbreak team should consist of:
- Health experts from infectious disease institutes
- Epidemiologists only as they understand how to prevent the disease spreading
- The senior doctor and nurse from the local hospital
- Local health authority representatives plus doctors, nurses and a field epidemiologist
Who from the community should be involved in regular meetings to provide information to the community?
- It is essential that the whole community be invited to these meetings
- Traditional leaders should not be invited as they have little health knowledge
- Only representatives invited by the national health authority
- The formal and informal community leaders
How can a popular community leader be identified?
- Speak to common people in the community
- Speak to the local health authorities
- Speak to the local government representative
- Speak to a traditional leader
Who from the outbreak team should communicate with other stakeholders?
- It is best if there is only one person
- Only the local health authorities
- Only the doctors
- They all should be allowed to speak on behalf of the team
Who should approach the local community leaders?
- The most senior health official available
- A local religious leader
- A senior member of the outreach team who speaks the local language
- An epidemiologist from an international organisation
What activities should the community be involved in?
- Helping to care for Ebola patients in hospital
- Encouraging sick people to seek care
- Chasing ill people out of the community
- Carrying corpses to a central area for burial
Why should the community be involved in efforts to stop the outbreak?
- It saves paying officials to carry out the communication functions
- It enables the community to take ‘ownership’ of both the problems and the solutions
- Because they are the only people who know how to stop the disease spreading
- Because they are the people spreading the disease
What media can be used to communicate with the public?
- Television should not be used as pictures will frighten the community
- Mass gatherings are dangerous as they might start a riot
- Newspapers, magazines and bill boards are of limited help as most people cannot read
- SMS texting is becoming a popular way of communicating with people
What traditional rituals should and should not be allowed?
- The body should not be touched or kissed by the family and friends
- It is safe to touch the body if it is dressed
- It is safe to kiss the body if it has been washed
- The body can be touched and kissed if it is first disinfected with a chlorine solution
What should the community be told about burials?
- They are safe and do not pose a risk of Ebola infection
- Only the family should be involved in the burial
- The family should be encouraged to participate in the safe burial process
- All funerals should be banned and the bodies of Ebola victims who die burned
What is a safe burial?
- The burial of a community member that did not have Ebola
- The burial of a community leader in a walled off and protected area
- A burial with special precautions taken to prevent spread of Ebola to others
- A burial where the infected corpse is placed in a special box
What should be done to the home after a family member has died there of Ebola?
- The house should be abandoned
- The house should be disinfected
- The house should be kept empty for 21 days
- There is no need to make any changes to the home
How should community leaders be approached?
- They should be presented with clear, written instructions from the health authorities
- They should be approached respectfully
- They should be spoken to as if they had no understanding of the disease
- The community leaders should be paid to win their support
Which problems may occur when speaking to the community?
- They may not be interested in how disease is spread
- They may not understand that some diseases are infectious
- Identifying the wrong community leaders may cause conflict
- They may only be prepared to listen if they are first given gifts
Should custom and tradition be ignored when trying to change burial practice?
- Yes as customs and traditions are dangerous and should be stopped
- Yes as most customs and traditional beliefs are out of date in a modern society
- No as customs and traditions can be altered to meet the current need and this will win community support
- No as it is not possible to get the community to change age-old customs and traditions
How can stigma be reduced or avoided?
- By educating the community
- By keeping Ebola survivors away from their family and community
- By punishing people who are aggressive to Ebola survivors
- Stigma cannot be reduced or avoided
Can Ebola survivors be recruited to help in the outbreak?
- No as they have already suffered and need rest to recover
- No as they may still be infectious even after they have fully recovered
- No as they may be re-infected with Ebola
- Yes they can be used to help in patient tracing, orphan care and home-based care