Translation of WHO Fact Sheet to Educate Communities on Marburg Virus Disease in Uganda

The Makerere University-Yale University (MUYU) Collaboration, the Makerere University Centre for Language and Communication Services (CLCS), the Ministry of Health of Uganda, the Yale Institute of Global Health (YIGH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) released a Kiswahili translation of a WHO fact sheet on Marburg Virus Disease, a rare but severe hemorrhagic infection. With an outbreak of Marburg declared in January, the translation came at a crucial time.

The fact sheet is pivotal as it enables communities to understand the disease and make informed decisions. It puts the power back into the communities affected, as they are actively participating in their own well-being. Dr. Richard Kabanda, Acting Commissioner Health Services in charge of Health Promotion, Education and Health Communication for the Ugandan Ministry of Health, remarked that "prevention and control of infectious diseases mainly relies on well-educated and empowered communities in the languages they understand."

Heini Utunen, Head of the Learning and Capacity Development Unit, WHO Health Emergencies Programme, added emphasis on the impact of providing this information to those affected through collaboration. “Localizing health information is critical, as we know that learning is easier in your own language for improved health literacy and comprehension. To have evidence-based information in comprehensible, simple formats for use outside high-tech solutions makes all the difference in health information dissemination.”

The World Health Organization’s free online learning platform for health emergencies, OpenWHO.org, has prioritized making learning resources available in more than 70 languages to improve comprehension and help curb disease transmission as quickly as possible. The translation is also an example of the efforts of governments of African countries that have been touched by Ebola, Marburg, and other acute diseases to bring these outbreaks to a resolution.

Dr. Medadi Ssentanda, Department of African Languages, Makerere University, Uganda, and Coordinator, CLCS, said "[we are] happy to be providing these translations to the affected communities. Thank you to the funders and everyone who helped with this." Those who were involved from the early stages include Mory Keita, a WHO health worker; Charles Riley, a Yale University catalog librarian; Mike Skonieczny, deputy director of the Yale Institute of Global Health; Dr. Tracy Rabin, MUYU co-director (Yale); Dr. Harriet Mayanja-Kizza, MUYU co-director (Makerere) and former Dean of Makerere University School of Medicine; and Dr. Helen Byamugisha, University Librarian at Makerere University.

The translation is on the OpenWHO website. Additionally, a set of translations of an Ebola FAQ into 15 Ugandan languages will soon be made available by the same collaborative effort, in solidarity with the communities that have been affected by the most recent outbreak. As noted by Dr. Mayanja-Kizza, "Ebola epidemics have plagued Uganda over the years, and the country has made stringent efforts to control the spread of these epidemics. However, Uganda with its multitude of languages and dialects needs to improve on communicating with all persons national wide in their local languages, especially related to prevention strategies – key to limiting the Ebola, and of recent Marburg epidemics. The input of all partners in this effort is highly appreciated."