More than 80 health managers and workers from the Ministry of Health and Social Security, and delegates from the 9 islands of the country were trained on key strategies for risk communication.
The training focused around strategies like: messages design and dissemination; building and maintaining trust; rumors management; evaluation of risk perception; stakeholders and community engagement; media relations and public communication. A simulation exercise was organized for the second day of training which tested participants’ capacities to put into place a national risk communication strategy for a health emergency. Key resources from WHO website were adapted to the local context as a foundation for this training.
In 2015, Cabo Verde suffered its first outbreak of the Zika virus in the country. As a response measure, WHO mobilized emergency assistance to control and reduce the impact of the epidemic. Additionally, WHO supported government officials in developing a more sustainable emergency project, namely, the ‘Emergency Assistance to support Cabo Verde Preparedness and Response Plan to fight the Zika virus outbreak’. The project aimed at reinforcing the readiness capacities of the Cabo Verdean government and key stakeholders to face epidemics. It was funded by the African Development Bank (ADB) and implemented for the period 2016-2018. One of the key components of this project is capacity reinforcement for risk communication.
João Baptista, a participant from the North Santiago region, explained his previous experience where he appreciated the importance of adapting emergency communication messages to target audiences in order to demonstrate empathy and receptiveness for the feelings, fears, and concerns of at risk populations. “Meeting the information needs of the population, informing them in a timely manner, and providing accurate information helps to prevent panic and encourages positive decisions to tackle an emergency situation,” added Miriam Delgado from Boa Vista Island.
Another training action which was implemented targeted journalists and media practitioners from all over the country. Twenty-five media participants were trained on risk communication—facilitating the strengthening of a network of journalists for health emergencies in Cabo Verde. Osvaldina Brito, the communication advisor at the Ministry of Health (MoH) and former participant of the ECN training organized by WHO, emphasized the need of a strong partnership between the media and the MoH in order to build trust with the population and expand communication reach.
Eufémia Mascarenhas, a journalist from Radio Educativa, recognized the relevance of this cooperation with the Ministry of Health. But more importantly, she acknowledged the role of the media and their responsibilities during emergency situations.
“This training is an added value for my job, and I feel better prepared to deal with risk situations," she said. "Now I understand that to keep the audience informed regularly and raise awareness is critical, thus the affected population becomes engaged and takes the right decisions."
The WHO Project, Emergency Assistance to support Cabo Verde Preparedness and Response Plan to fight the Zika virus outbreak, has contributed to reinforcing the national and local readiness as well as expanded the capacities to fight mosquito-borne diseases and epidemics, such as Dengue, Zika and malaria. This training has equipped Cabo Verde to better manage these diseases that afflicted the country in 2009, 2015, and 2017, respectively.