Communication and Social Mobilization Strategy for Avian Flu

1
Communication and Social Mobilization Strategy
for Avian Flu
Neil Ford Regional Adviser, Programme
Communication, West Central Africa 20th March,
2006 Libreville
2
Priority behaviours FAO, WHO and UNICEF

• Report sick birds and animals to authorities
• Seek treatment if you have a fever after contact
  with sick birds
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water

3
Priority behaviours FAO, WHO and UNICEF - 2

• Clean your clothes, shoes, bird cages and
  vehicles with soap or disinfectant
• Separate poultry species, separate wild and
  domestic birds, and new birds from old
• Handle, prepare and eat birds safely
• Burn and/or bury dead birds safely

4
Communicating behaviour change

• People think about
• RISK What will happen if I report a sick
  bird?
• MOTIVATION Why should I do something I have
  never done before?

5
Communicating behaviour change

• strengthen interpersonal communication at the
  community level, by mobilizing networks
• balance messages with discussion so people can
  develop their own solutions for improved poultry
  handling and human hygiene
• blend local solutions into the response

6
Communicating behaviour change

• anticipate rumours about Avian Flu that will
  inhibit health-seeking behaviour
• use ongoing programmes to get the message out
• ADDRESS COMPENSATION

7
Learn from HIV/AIDS communication

• Messages easy to understand, hard to act upon
• Social / cultural / poverty context critical to
  the success of avian flu communication
• Communicate realistic solutions that come from
  people themselves

8
Three final words

• Voice
• Space
• Connectivity

9
From the Africa Commission Report

• Meaningful participation is a political
  phenomenon and requires those who traditionally
  make decisions to relinquish some of their
  control and to hear voices they may not agree
  with or may not usually listen to, including
  those of women and youth. (page 136)