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AFGHANISTAN - Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team service members took to the airwaves to combat insurgent misinformation about the spread of the H1N1 flu virus in eastern Afghanistan's Nuristan province, Nov. 19.
U.S. Navy Lt. Jennifer Dreiling, PRT senior medical officer from McLean, Va., and U.S. Navy Lt. j.g. Stacy Gross, PRT information operations officer from Lakeville, Minn., broadcasted public health messages about the virus on Radio Kalagush, a U.S.-funded Afghan radio station broadcasted from Forward Operating Base Kalagush.
According to Gross, the messages informed people how to react to the common cold or H1N1 signs and symptoms, and what to do if they suspect they have the virus.
Insurgents in Nuristan has spread misinformation on how the H1N1 is contracted and where it comes from.
"Part of the aim of the messages themselves is to dispel those rumors, like you can contract the disease by eating pork or that H1N1 was brought to Afghanistan and spread by coalition forces," said Dreiling.
According to Gross and Dreiling, every radio message the Nuristan PRT broadcasts out with useful information about the virus is another opportunity to take power away from the enemy's information campaign.
Dreiling felt that the radio messages were successful because, "the radio messages makes the people feel like they have control of their own situation, and it's empowering for them to know what's going on around them."
The Nuristan PRT releases public health radio messages at least once a week.
| Date Taken: | 11.27.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 11.27.2009 08:37 |
| Story ID: | 42065 |
| Location: | AF |
| Web Views: | 385 |
| Downloads: | 347 |
This work, Nuristan PRT battles H1N1 misinformation, by Maj. Natassia Cherne, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
