The Efficacy of Crisis Communication in the Management of Ebola Fever in the Bundibugyo District, Uganda

Abstract

To prevent an outbreak from spreading, the mode of communication that is adopted plays a key role. When information about a disease outbreak is not communicated during its early stages, it brings about fear, panic and
anxiety. The article addresses the role of crisis communication in managing disease outbreaks in Uganda. The study was carried out in the Western District of Bundibugyo, Uganda, in the two sub-counties of Kasitu and the Bundibugyo Town Council. With regard to the disease outbreak in Bundibugyo, the article attempts to ring-fence to role of crisis communication in managing the Ebola fever outbreak, as well as unearthing related challenges. The methodological approach utilised for this article is quantitative and a qualitative (a mixed-method design) that  includes a crosssectional survey. The study found that key weaknesses in the structural and institutional framework hampered the efficient management of the Ebola fever outbreak and exacerbated the magnitude of factors that led to many deaths in the Bundibugyo District.