Using science-based community engagement to fight COVID-19 through animations and film journalism

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, has rapidly spread across the world since December 2019. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the arrival of a regional epidemic was delayed but is now picking up pace despite restrictive control measures put in place by governments. The time bought by a lockdown in Uganda has only partly been used to prepare the population with education and information yet there has been a lack of palpable media participation in linking political, technical and scientific efforts to timely and correct information sharing with the general population, in part because of the challenges of organising this. The coronavirus pandemic and restrictions employed to slow its spread has affected other areas of health care delivery, threatening targets and achievements gained so far like HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis, maternal healthcare, routine and extraordinary vaccination campaigns and other health promotion campaigns. Our collaborative approach to science engagement and journalism aims to bridge this gap by turning evidence generated by JCRC, as well as from a wide range of other sources, into public health messaging to be circulated in Mbarara region and nationally. This will be through production of animations, small video clips for circulation on local and national media outlets and on social media platforms. Journalists in Mbarara region will be invited to write stories aimed at getting wider coverage for evidence generated and synthesized through the project. Our work in Mbarara would then be scaled up through the Picturing Health-Joint Clinical Research Centre strong network of international collaborations across Sub Saharan Africa which for years engaged and informed the public in Uganda and beyond about major clinical trials and other policy transforming research, particularly for HIV. We will build on this alliance between research, international collaboration, frontline healthcare delivery in difficult to reach communities and health communication and journalism. Our approach to science engagement would aim to translate scientific evidence into a two way process where key messages are developed in collaboration between researchers, community organisers, community leaders, frontline healthcare providers and health communicators/journalists. Messaging will not only explain what people and communities need to do to improve health outcomes but will also explain why. We will report on the use and adaptation of emerging practices on the continent and internationally to support diagnostics, prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We will develop media content. This will both be for information around COVID-19 and for wider access to healthcare affected by the epidemic like HIV/AIDS, maternal health and child health services. Expected Outputs Animations and Small video Clips: These will be used by community organisers - particularly to target community leaders and other influencers, broadcast on local TV stations, circulated on whatsapp and other social media or mobile platforms. 1) Short video Demonstrations will show how to look after COVID-19 patients at home and when and how they need to seek medical attention at a treatment centre. 2) A short animation about looking after patients at home. 3) A short animation aimed at mothers emphasising the importance of maternal services during pregnancy birth and breastfeeding and of getting infants inoculated against conditions like measles. There is already a serious measles outbreak in Congo, across the border from Mbarara region. This will explain the relative risks for pregnant women compared to COVID. 4) Animation aimed at people living with HIV, about the importance of collecting ART, with a version aimed at a wider audience about the importance of knowing status and getting tested. Again it will explain relative risks for COVID and HIV. 5) An Animation to explain the importance of remaining on treatment for women recently diagnosed as HIV positive during Pregnancy. 6) An animation to explain "What is a virus?" This will use coronavirus, HIV and Ebola as examples of three different viruses, explaining how small they are and how they spread in different ways. 7) An animation looking at vaccinations - how do they work. 8) An animation looking at the public health need for mass vaccinations - everyone needs to get vaccinated to create immunity in the society. The animations will also be used to create interest and raise awareness among journalists and other health communicators, to invite them to write stories about the science, issues and problems of these areas created by the epidemic.A lot of emphasis shall be put on how women's health has been affected by COVID-19, why we need to protect the elderly especially grandmothers for their central role in society.