Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Center for Tropical Diseases & Global Health, Université Catholique de Bukavu, Bukavu B.P 265, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 17;19(20):13424. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013424.
In this evaluation of COVID-19 preventative response programs in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), we aimed to explore community understandings of COVID-19, assess operational successes and challenges of COVID response activities, and identify barriers to practicing COVID-19 preventative behaviors.
Thirty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted from April to September 2021 in South Kivu, DRC, with community members ( = 16) and programmatic stakeholders ( = 15) (healthcare providers, government officials, and developmental and NGO staff engaged in COVID-19 response).
Most community members were aware of COVID-19 and its global burden, but few were aware of local transmission in their area. Some community members attributed COVID-19 to actions of malevolent neighbors, miasma ("bad air"), or spirits. Awareness of COVID-19 preventative measures was widespread, largely because of radio and TV health promotion programs. Community members and programmatic stakeholders both said community-level non-compliance to COVID-19 preventative measures was high despite high awareness of preventative methods. Community members expressed concern that face masks distributed as part of preventative programs contained the COVID-19 virus. Programmatic stakeholders emphasized the need for broader health system strengthening with improved coordination, provision of resources to health facilities at the provincial level, and prioritization of research. Lessons learned from addressing Ebola were leveraged for COVID-19 health promotion, rapid training of healthcare personnel, and surveillance.
Community-informed approaches are needed for effective COVID-19 preventative response programs in South Kivu, DRC. Our study identified successes and challenges in COVID-19 response activities. Future research should assess the effectiveness of integrating preventive programs with COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
在本次对刚果民主共和国（刚果（金））南基伍省 COVID-19 预防应对项目的评估中，我们旨在探讨社区对 COVID-19 的认知，评估 COVID 应对活动的运作成败和挑战，并确定实施 COVID-19 预防行为的障碍。
2021 年 4 月至 9 月，在刚果（金）南基伍省，对社区成员（16 人）和方案利益相关者（15 人）（参与 COVID-19 应对的医疗保健提供者、政府官员以及发展和非政府组织工作人员）进行了 31 次半结构式访谈。
大多数社区成员了解 COVID-19 及其全球负担，但很少有人了解其在当地的传播情况。一些社区成员将 COVID-19 归咎于恶意邻居的行为、瘴气（“坏空气”）或神灵。对 COVID-19 预防措施的认识很广泛，这主要是因为广播和电视健康促进节目。社区成员和方案利益相关者都表示，尽管对预防方法的认识很高，但社区层面对 COVID-19 预防措施的不遵守程度很高。社区成员表示担心作为预防计划一部分分发的口罩可能含有 COVID-19 病毒。方案利益相关者强调需要更广泛的卫生系统强化，包括改善协调、向省级卫生设施提供资源以及优先考虑研究。在处理埃博拉问题方面的经验教训被用于 COVID-19 健康促进、医疗保健人员的快速培训以及监测。
刚果（金）南基伍省需要采取以社区为导向的方法来实施有效的 COVID-19 预防应对计划。我们的研究确定了 COVID-19 应对活动的成功和挑战。未来的研究应评估将预防计划与 COVID-19 疫苗接种工作相结合的效果。
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