An Imperial College study shows that public information on Ebola is unclear, hindering efforts to fight the disease.

Researchers from Imperial College have published a new study into the effectiveness of publically available information on Ebola. The team, led by Enrique Castro-Sanchez, conducted a review into the readability of information from public-health agencies in non-Ebola-affected areas.

Currently there is no antiviral treatment or vaccine for Ebola. As a consequence of this, strict observation of infection prevention and control measures, along with careful surveillance, are essential to efforts to control the disease. For these measures to be effective the public must be aware of the symptoms of Ebola, and must understand the best way to seek help if someone becomes infected. In Ebola-affected areas poor awareness of the disease has led to community misunderstandings and unwillingness to cooperate with medical teams. In other parts of the world poor information has led to unfounded fear among healthcare-workers and the public, disrupting the activities of hospitals caring for patients with Ebola.

The team’s analysis showed that information provided on public-health agency websites is often written at a higher than recommended reading level. A substantial proportion of people with low literacy rates in the UK, United States, Canada and Europe would struggle to understand key messages about controlling Ebola. This may delay or prevent them from taking appropriate steps to seek help in the event of infection.

It is vital that public health agencies improve the readability of Ebola information so that the public can adopt effective self-care strategies, avoid fear, and reduce unnecessary panic.  

Enrique Castro-Sánchez is the lead research nurse at the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infection and Antimicrobial Resistance at Imperial College London, London, UK. His research interests include health literacy in infectious diseases and healthcare-associated infections, and effect of social networks on clinicians and patients’ attitudes to infection.