Perceptions Of University Of Ghana Students About The Media’s Role In Educating The Public About The Ebola Virus Disease

ABSTRACT Introduction: The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic of 2014, which occurred in West Africa, is reported to be the longest and most severe outbreak of Ebola since the discovery of the disease in 1976. The outbreak was first reported in Guinea but, by the time the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the epidemic over, the disease had affected five other countries on the African continent-Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Mali. It was also reported in the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom (UK), Spain and Italy. Extensive media attention on the disease, during the outbreak helped prevent a greater global catastrophe. In recognition of the media’s power to transform attitudes, the Ghanaian media were recruited in the national campaign to educate Ghanaians about the Ebola Virus Disease and prevent it from entering the country. Objective: The study sought to examine the media’s involvement in the fight against Ebola through the perceptions of students of the University of Ghana. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional qualitative study in which six focus group discussions were conducted among Ghanaian students of the University of Ghana. The study was conducted on the Legon campus of the University. Discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim and data was analysed using various themes generated from the discussions and coded manually using the thematic frame work analysis. Results: The study found students to be knowledgeable about Ebola with most of them first hearing about the disease through the media. Students’ access news and information from a mix of traditional and new media sources of which social media, was the most favoured. They commended the media highly for informing and educating them about Ebola but, they were displeased with the fear created around the disease by both local and foreign media. Conclusion: Media messages on Ebola during the 2014 West Africa outbreak impacted the student population of the University of Ghana positively, in spite of the fearful and sometimes confusing nature of the Ebola reports put out by the media.