Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs
NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Nuristan Provincial Reconstruction Team servicemembers took to the airways, Nov. 19, to combat misinformation put out by anti-Afghan forces about the growing H1N1 flu virus epidemic in eastern Afghanistan’s Nuristan province. U.S. Navy Lt. Jennifer Dreiling, from
McLean, Va., the senior medical officer, and U.S. Navy Lt j. g. Stacy Gross, from Lakeville, MN, the information operations officer for the PRT broadcasted the public health messages about the virus on Radio Kalagush, a U.S.-funded Afghan radio station that broadcasts 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 H1N1.
AAF in Nuristan province have been spreading 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,” Dreiling said.
According to Gross and Dreiling, every radio message that Nuristan PRT puts 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, and the radio stations replays them throughout the week.
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