The website of Science (31st August 2014) has a good article introducing the ups and downs of trying to model the Ebola outbreak.

At the end of the news article, Science offers the following:

*The Ebola Files: Given the current Ebola outbreak, unprecedented in terms of number of people killed and rapid geographic spread, Science and Science Translational Medicine have made a collection of research and news articles on the viral disease freely available to researchers and the general public.

This is good, but I would also like to see collections of information on how communities can respoind themselves,with and without the help of professional health services... and the information should be

(a) in all the languages of the people who are affected, or likely to be affected soon, and

(b) appear in written, audio and video formats that can be transmitted freeely through mobile phones, local radio, TV, and so on.

I would be grateful if members of our network who live in Africa can tell us more about what they are seeing in their own local media.

How can local communities be empowered to deal effectively with this disease themselves, at the same time as outside efforts are made to extend help?

Please comment!

Addendum (WHO report, cited in Science Insider, online news article , 8 September 2014)

"...far greater community engagement is the cornerstone of a more effective response. Where communities take charge, especially in rural areas, and put in place their own solutions and protective measures, Ebola transmission has slowed considerably."