Skip to main content
Article
Licensed
Unlicensed Requires Authentication

Exploring Sub-Saharan Africa’s Communication of COVID-19-Related Health Information on Social Media

  • ORCID logo EMAIL logo , ORCID logo , ORCID logo , ORCID logo and ORCID logo
Published/Copyright: April 12, 2021
Libri
From the journal Libri Volume 71 Issue 2

Abstract

Social media presents a robust stage for disseminating time-sensitive information that is needed during a public health disease of global concern such as COVID-19. This study finds out how the 23 anglophone Sub-Saharan African countries’ national health ministries and infectious disease agencies disseminated COVID-19 related information through their social media accounts within the first three months after the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. COVID-19 related qualitative and quantitative data types were collected from the social media accounts of the surveyed national health ministries and agencies for analysis. Over 86% of the African countries had presence on social media; Facebook was the most popular, though Twitter contained more posts. One of the credibility issues that was noticed is that most of the health ministries’ and agencies’ social media accounts were unverified and access to the social media accounts was not provided on most of their official websites. Information dissemination became more deliberate and increased significantly after the announcement of the fist cases of COVID-19 in the countries under review. Awareness creation, updates and news constituted the major categories of information that were disseminated, mostly in the form of derivative social media information before the announcement of the first COVID-19 case in the surveyed African countries. Campaigns against misinformation were barely undertaken by most of the countries. Strategies used by some countries included the employment of social media influencers and creation of content in local languages. Strategies that include development of health information content that targets different groups in African societies and the inclusion of elderly in the community and religious leaders as non-state actors in health information communication were recommended.

Keywords: social media; sub-Saharan Africa; COVID-19 pandemic; health communication; public health; health (mis)information
Corresponding author: Toluwase Asubiaro, Library and Information Science Program, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada; and E. Latunde Odeku Medical Library, University of Ibadan, College of Medicine, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, E-mail

References

Agilera, J. 2020. “Misinformation about Coronavirus Is Spreading Fast.” TIME. https://time.com/5773801/scientists-counter-misinformation-coronavirus/ (Accessed December 29, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Ahinkorah, B. O., A. Edward Kwabena, H. John Elvis, S. Abdul-Aziz, and T. Schack. 2020. “Rising above Misinformation or Fake News in Africa: Another Strategy to Control COVID-19 Spread.” Frontiers in Communication 5: 45, https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2020.00045.Search in Google Scholar

Balami, A. D., and M. Hadiza Umar. 2019. “Misinformation on Salt Water Use among Nigerians during 2014 Ebola Outbreak and the Role of Social Media.” Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 124 (175).10.4103/1995-7645.257118Search in Google Scholar

Baruah, T. D. 2012. “Effectiveness of Social Media as a Tool of Communication and its Potential for Technology Enabled Connections: A Micro-level Study.” International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications 2 (5): 10.Search in Google Scholar

Boyd, C. 2019. “WhatsApp in Africa.” Medium. https://medium.com/swlh/whatsapp-in-africa-3c8626f4980e (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Busari, S., and B. Adebayo. 2020. “Nigeria Records Chloroquine Poisoning after Trump Endorses it for Coronavirus Treatment – CNN.” CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/23/africa/chloroquine-trump-nigeria-intl/index.html (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Carter, M. 2014. “How Twitter May Have Helped Nigeria Contain Ebola.” BMJ 349 (3). 6946–6946, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g6946.Search in Google Scholar

Chibanda, D., H. A. Weiss, V. Ruth, V. Simms, R. Munjoma, S. Rusakaniko, A. Chingono, 2016. “Effect of a Primary Care-based Psychological Intervention on Symptoms of Common Mental Disorders in Zimbabwe: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” Journal of the American Medical Association 316 (24): 2618, https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.19102.Search in Google Scholar

Comrie, E. L. 2015. Explaining the Role of Twitter in the Ampli Cation and Attenuation of Risk during Health Risk Events Through Causal Loop Diagrams: A Comparative Study of Nova Scotia and Scotland. University of Strathclyde.Search in Google Scholar

Eriksson, M. 2018. “Lessons for Crisis Communication on Social Media: A Systematic Review of What Research Tells the Practice.” International Journal of Strategic Communication 12 (5): 526–51, https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2018.1510405.Search in Google Scholar

Fayoyin, A. 2016. “Engaging Social Media for Health Communication in Africa: Approaches, Results and Lessons.” Journal of Mass Communication & Journalism 6 (6), https://doi.org/10.4172/2165-7912.1000315.Search in Google Scholar

Fraustino, J. D., B. F. Liu, and Y. Jin. 2017. “Social Media Use during Disasters: A Research Synthesis and Road Map.” In Social Media and Crisis Communication. 1st ed., edited by L. Austin, and Y. Jin, 283. New York: Routledge.10.4324/9781315749068-21Search in Google Scholar

Frenkel, S., D. Alba, and R. Zhong. 2020. Surge of Virus Misinformation Stumps Facebook and Twitter. The New York Times. sec. Technology. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/technology/coronavirus-misinformation-social-media.html (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Gavin, M. 2020. “One Challenge to Africa’s Response to COVID-19: Public Trust in Institutions.” Council on Foreign Relations (blog). https://www.cfr.org/blog/one-challenge-africas-response-covid-19-public-trust-institutions (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Guest, G., K. M. MacQueen, and E. E. Namey. 2012. “Introduction to Applied Thematic Analysis.” In Applied Thematic Analysis, 3–20. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.10.4135/9781483384436.n1Search in Google Scholar

Gyimah-Boadi, E., and C. Logan. 2020. “Many Africans Distrust Their Governments. How Will that Affect Their Coronavirus Response?” Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/01/many-africans-distrust-their-governments-how-will-that-affect-their-coronavirus-response/ (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Huang, Y.-H., and S.-H. Su. 2009. “Determinants of Consistent, Timely, and Active Responses in Corporate Crises.” Public Relations Review 35 (1): 7–17, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2008.09.020.Search in Google Scholar

Hussey, N. 2012/2013. “The Language Barrier : The Overlooked Challenge to Equitable Health Care: Emerging Public Health Practitioner Awards.” South African Health Review (1): 189–95.Search in Google Scholar

Institute of Medicine (US). 2011. “Committee on Envisioning a Strategy for the Long-Term Burden of HIV/AIDS: African Needs and U.S. Interests. Preparing for the Future of HIV/AIDS in Africa: A Shared Responsibility.” The Burden of HIV/AIDS: Implications for African States and Societies. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209743/ (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

International Telecommunication Union. 2019. “Measuring Digital Development: Facts and Figure 2019.” Place des Nations. CH-1211 G. Geneva, Switzerland: International Telecommunication Union. https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/FactsFigures2019.pdf (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Jamali, M., N. Ali, S. Ghosh, F. Jin, and G. Cao. 2019. “Social Media Data and Post-Disaster Recovery.” International Journal of Information Management 44: 25–37, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.09.005.Search in Google Scholar

Jegede, A. S. 2007. “What Led to the Nigerian Boycott of the Polio Vaccination Campaign?” PLoS Medicine 4 (3): e73, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0040073.Search in Google Scholar

Karasneh, R., S. Al-Azzam, S. Muflih, O. Soudah, S. Hawamdeh, and Y. Khader. 2020. “Media’s Effect on Shaping Knowledge, Awareness Risk Perceptions and Communication Practices of Pandemic COVID-19 among Pharmacists.” Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.04.027.Search in Google Scholar

Kazeem, Y. 2019. “Nigeria: Use of WhatsApp among Older Generations Contributing to Spread of Fake News, Includes Company Comments | Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.” https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/nigeria-use-of-whatsapp-among-older-generations-contributing-to-spread-of-fake-news-includes-company-comments (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Kilbourne, E. D. 2006. “Influenza Pandemics of the 20th Century.” Emerging Infectious Diseases 12 (1): 9–15. www.cdc.gov/eid (accessed December 28, 2020).10.3201/eid1201.051254Search in Google Scholar

McInnes, C. 2018. “Old Wine in New Bottles? Use of Twitter by Established UK News Media during the 2014 -15 West African Ebola Outbreak.” In Social Media Use in Crisis and Risk Communication: Emergencies, Concerns and Awareness, edited by H. Harald, and B. Klas. Emerald Publishing Limited, https://doi.org/10.1108/9781787562691.Search in Google Scholar

Mechael, P. N. 2009. “The Case for MHealth in Developing Countries.” Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization 4 (1): 103–18, https://doi.org/10.1162/itgg.2009.4.1.103.Search in Google Scholar

Meuter, R. F. I., C. Gallois, N. S. Segalowitz, A. G. Ryder, and J. Hocking. 2015. “Overcoming Language Barriers in Healthcare: A Protocol for Investigating Safe and Effective Communication When Patients or Clinicians Use a Second Language.” BMC Health Services Research 15, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-015-1024-8.Search in Google Scholar

Moorhead, S. A., D. Hazlett, L. Harrison, K. C. Jennifer, A. Irwin, and C. Hoving. 2013. “A New Dimension of Health Care: Systematic Review of the Uses, Benefits, and Limitations of Social Media for Health Communication.” Journal of Medical Internet Research 15 (4): e85, https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.1933.Search in Google Scholar

Nasir, S.-G., G. Aliyu, I. Ya’u, M. Gadanya, M. Mohammad, M. Zubair, and S. E.-K. Samer. 2014. “From Intense Rejection to Advocacy: How Muslim Clerics Were Engaged in a Polio Eradication Initiative in Northern Nigeria.” PLoS Medicine 11 (8): e1001687, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001687.Search in Google Scholar

Nuwer, R. 2020. “How a Bench and a Team of Grandmothers Can Tackle Depression.” BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20181015-how-one-bench-and-a-team-of-grandmothers-can-beat-depression (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Pan American Health Organization. 2009. “Creating a Communication Strategy for Pandemic Influenza.” New York. https://www.paho.org/hq/dmdocuments/2010/PAHO_CommStrategy_Eng.pdf (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Riley, A., and A. Riley. 2019. “How a Wooden Bench in Zimbabwe Is Starting a Revolution in Mental Health.” Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90344000/how-a-wooden-bench-in-zimbabwe-is-starting-a-revolution-in-mental-health (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Romm, T. 2020. “Fake Cures and Other Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories Are Flooding WhatsApp, Leaving Governments and Users with a ‘Sense of Panic.” Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/02/whatsapp-coronavirus-misinformation/ (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Simon, T., A. Goldberg, and B. Adini. 2015. “Socializing in Emergencies—A Review of the Use of Social Media in Emergency Situations.” International Journal of Information Management 35 (5): 609–19, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.07.001.Search in Google Scholar

Starbird, K., and L. Palen. 2010. Pass it on?: Retweeting in Mass Emergency. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228512367 (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Steele, R. 2011. “Social Media, Mobile Devices and Sensors: Categorizing New Techniques for Health Communication.” In 2011 Fifth International Conference on Sensing Technology, 187–92,https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSensT.2011.6136960 (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Tolly, K., and P. Benjamin. 2012. “Mobile Phones: Opening New Channels for Health Communication.” In The Handbook of Global Health Communication, edited by O. Rafael, and W. Silvio, 309–29. Wiley Online Books, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118241868.ch15.Search in Google Scholar

Veil, S., B. Reynolds, T. L. Sellnow, and M. W. Seeger. 2008. “CERC as a Theoretical Framework for Research and Practice.” Health Promotion Practice 9 (4): 26S–34S, https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839908322113.Search in Google Scholar

Vieira, M. C., O. H. Franco, C. G. Restrepo, and T. Abel. 2020. “COVID-19: The Forgotten Priorities of the Pandemic.” Maturitas 136: 38–41, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2020.04.004.Search in Google Scholar

Vieweg, S., A. L. Hughes, S. Kate, and L. Palen. 2010. “Microblogging during Two Natural Hazards Events.” In Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems – CHI ’10, Vol. 1079. New York, New York, USA: ACM Press, https://doi.org/10.1145/1753326.1753486.Search in Google Scholar

West, D. M. 2015 “Using Mobile Technology to Improve Maternal Health and Fight Ebola: A Case Study of Mobile Innovation in Nigeria.” edited by C. Jacobs, and B. Stone. Washington, DC. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CTINigeria.pdf (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

WHO/PAHO. 2014. “Risk Communication Plan for the First Case of Ebola.” World Health Organization. https://www.paho.org/hq/dmdocuments/2014/2014-cha-ebola-risk-comm-activ.pdf (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

World Health Organization (WHO). 2020. “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report – 35.” https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200224-sitrep-35-covid-19.pdf (accessed December 28, 2020).Search in Google Scholar

Published Online: 2021-04-12
Published in Print: 2021-06-25

© 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Articles
  3. Librarians’ Perceptions of the Challenges for Researchers in Rwanda and the Potential of Open Scholarship
  4. Satisfaction and Consumption Emotions of Library Users at a Public University in Mexico: A Case Study
  5. Exploring Sub-Saharan Africa’s Communication of COVID-19-Related Health Information on Social Media
  6. Identifying and Evaluating the Critical Success Factors for Academic Information Management and Evaluation Centers: The Case of Iran
  7. South African Library and Information Science (LIS) Students’ Perceptions, Motivations and Reasons for Enrolling in the LIS Program
  8. The Role of School Libraries in Supporting Inquiry-Based Methods for Teaching Science in Nigerian Schools: Challenges and Possibilities
  9. Personal Information Management Behaviors of University Faculty – Aspects of Print versus Electronic
  10. A Distinct Type of Online Group for Customer Knowledge Innovation: The Virtual Product User Community
https://doi.org/10.1515/libri-2020-0097
Keywords for this article
social media; sub-Saharan Africa; COVID-19 pandemic; health communication; public health; health (mis)information

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Articles
  3. Librarians’ Perceptions of the Challenges for Researchers in Rwanda and the Potential of Open Scholarship
  4. Satisfaction and Consumption Emotions of Library Users at a Public University in Mexico: A Case Study
  5. Exploring Sub-Saharan Africa’s Communication of COVID-19-Related Health Information on Social Media
  6. Identifying and Evaluating the Critical Success Factors for Academic Information Management and Evaluation Centers: The Case of Iran
  7. South African Library and Information Science (LIS) Students’ Perceptions, Motivations and Reasons for Enrolling in the LIS Program
  8. The Role of School Libraries in Supporting Inquiry-Based Methods for Teaching Science in Nigerian Schools: Challenges and Possibilities
  9. Personal Information Management Behaviors of University Faculty – Aspects of Print versus Electronic
  10. A Distinct Type of Online Group for Customer Knowledge Innovation: The Virtual Product User Community
Downloaded on 17.4.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/libri-2020-0097/html
Scroll to top button