Hand in hand to develop a COVID-19 communication strategy for universities

Prof Alphonsine Kouassi, a professor at the med school,  spontaneously stumbled upon an online announcement about a COVID-19 seminar at the literature department in early 2020.I was very curious to attend a presentation by Professor Clémence Adom on language used in COVID-19 media communication channels. It was an eye opener to see that other disciplines could contribute to solving health issues. 

Vaccination and barrier measures, such as masks, remain the best way to stop COVID-19 propagation. Unfortunately, there is still some push back on vaccination in Côte D’ivoire, particularly in university settings. As the first global pandemic in the age of social media, COVID-19 generated overwhelming amounts of information available from a variety of sources. The spread of disinformation has skyrocketed and students and university staff do not see right from wrong anymore.

Thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) support, Alphonsine connected with Clémence to design and develop a communication strategy specifically targeted to universities. Now more than ever, she feels a sense of duty to educate people of all ages about COVID-19 risks.

“I had never heard of the term “One Health” before meeting Alphonsine and the AFROHUN team” said Clémence. “I’m included in the team and I feel that my work is directly impacting the health of students and other professors on campus.” Aside from working together both Alphonsine and Clémence share a common passion about Zougoulou music and dancing which they enjoy in their spare time.