How the BBC is using WhatsApp to combat Ebola in West Africa
The BBC has launched a new effort to help fight the spread of Ebola in West Africa, and it鈥檚 employing the biggest 鈥榗hat app鈥� in use in Africa.
will use WhatsApp to target audio, text message alerts, and images to users in West Africa, who are in the heart of the worst Ebola crisis in history.
鈥淚t's a situation where information will literally save lives,鈥� Peter Horrocks, director of BBC World Service, told Mashable.
Mashable noted , which is available on smartphones but also older feature phones, as messages can be sent in a variety of ways without taking up large amounts of data.
鈥淭his has got to be information that people trust and is reliable but is also easily digestible and doesn't consume a lot of bandwidth,鈥� Horrocks said.
Content, available in English and French, will be limited to three items a day.
to the variety of handsets and help in reaching people who may not be able to read English or French, TechCrunch reported.
鈥淭his outbreak of Ebola shows no signs of abating. Myths and misinformation about Ebola are still widespread 鈥� and life-threatening,鈥� Horrocks said in a statement. 鈥淭he BBC is trusted by millions of people in the affected countries, so we are stepping up our efforts to reach people with timely information, whether they鈥檙e listening to the radio, watching TV or using chat apps.鈥�
To subscribe, send 鈥楯OIN鈥� via WhatsApp to +44 7702 348 651. To unsubscribe, send 鈥楽TOP鈥� via WhatsApp to the same number.
Half a billion people around the world , according to the WhatsApp blog.
