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How information can combat crises

The recent cases of Ebola that have surfaced in the U.S. are raising concern among many people, and have highlighted the importance of distributing accurate information across accessible formats.



Of course, false or incomplete information can often make a situation worse through the unnecessary concern it produces. Ensuring that people have accurate and up-to-date information about Ebola, how to recognize the symptoms, and how to protect themselves can go a long way towards preventing panic reactions from happening. A printing company can produce just such materials.



Posters can be produced for placement in airports and other hubs of transportation, especially any that get traffic form the affected African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The posters could explain that anyone coming in to the country from these areas will receive extra screening for symptoms.



Promotional materials, such as flyers and brochures, can be distributed to each person who may have come into contact with an infected individual, giving information about the disease, what symptoms to look for, and what to do should someone be experiencing them.



The beauty of techniques like brochure and poster printing is that they are widely accessible and given increased authenticity. While digital content is often skim-read, printed notifications tend to be more thoroughly absorbed.



A further advantage of traditional print is the Internet is not as accessible in some parts of the world as it is in the United States; statistics from 2012 show that 81% of Americans use the web, compared to just 1.3% of Sierra Leoneans.