Psychiatry Internship Program, University of Bourgogne, 21000 Dijon, France.
Health Economics & Policy Research and Evaluation for Development Results Group, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Pan Afr Med J. 2020 Jun 8;35(Suppl 2):67. doi: 10.11604/pamj.supp.2020.35.2.23073. eCollection 2020.
Social networking services played a crucial role in the management of previous outbreaks around the world. African populations are increasingly using social networks and this may have benefits but also harmful consequences, especially at this time of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This paper concisely discusses of these consequences which include the propagation of "fake news" and the misinterpretation of messages pertaining to the prevention and the treatment of the disease. Moreover, our commentary provides some ways to alleviate them, chiefly represented by a framed and practical communication by health authorities. We suggest for instance the systematic sharing of correct messages through official Facebook and Twitter accounts and the conception of tailored web tools dedicated to the verification of circulating information.
社交网络服务在世界范围内以往的疫情防控中发挥了关键作用。非洲人口越来越多地使用社交网络，这可能带来好处，但也可能产生有害后果，尤其是在当前 2019 冠状病毒病大流行时期。本文简要讨论了这些后果，包括“假新闻”的传播和对疾病预防和治疗相关信息的误解。此外，我们的评论还提供了一些缓解这些问题的方法，主要包括卫生部门以框架和实际的方式进行沟通。例如，我们建议通过官方 Facebook 和 Twitter 账户系统地分享正确的信息，并构思专门用于验证传播信息的定制网络工具。
