In response to the deadly Ebola Virus Disease spreading like wild fire across the world, the GSMA has launched a new video, calling on more operators and governments to commit their support for the Ebola Mobile Response initiative.
The GSMA developed the Ebola Mobile Response initiative to provide free public health information on Ebola via mobile across Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
The service is a partnership initiative between the World Health Organisation, local Ministries of Health, and mobile network operators and is replicable across the African continent with support from additional mobile operators and governments.
Speaking on the new development, Dr. Craig Friderichs, Director of Health, Mobile for Development at GSMA said that, “Since the outbreak of Ebola there has been a worldwide proliferation of false and misleading information. Ebola is having a devastating effect on a number of countries in West Africa – both in terms of those directly affected and the impact to local economies.
“But the Ebola outbreak is not confined to the physical world: fear and uncertainty are also becoming widespread as a result of the lack of validated information on the virus. With 328 million unique mobile subscribers across Sub-Saharan Africa, mobile has the potential to play a crucial role in enabling, equipping and empowering individuals to fight the outbreak.
“Mobile network operators are in a unique position to leverage their networks to quickly and effectively distribute credible and contextualised information to individuals in these affected countries.”
The GSM Association is an association of mobile operators and related companies devoted to supporting the standardising, deployment and promotion of the GSM mobile telephone system. The GSM Association was formed in 1995.
The GSMA organises the largest annual event in the mobile industry, the GSMA Mobile World Congress, in addition to smaller, targeted events GSMA Mobile Asia Expo and the GSMA NFC & Mobile Money Summit.
Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations.
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