DRAMA AS AN EFFECTIVE TOOL IN PREVENTING THE SPREAD OF EBOLA VIRUS IN PORT HARCOURT
Abstract
Drama otherwise known as movie has been part and parcel of our society and is one of the instruments for national mobilization, education and development because of its communication strength and simplicity, no wonder it was employed at the emergency of ebola virus in Port Harcourt. The core objective of the research is to study the effectiveness of drama in preventing the spread of ebola virus in the area and other South in Nigeria. Survey research method was adopted and 200 respondents were drawn using purposive sampling technique. However, from the findings, it shows that people watch drama deliberately packaged to create awareness about ebola, how it spread and some of the symptoms. It was also admitted that drama, soap opera, and other forms of television drama play crucial role in preventing the spread and tensions earlier generated about the deathly nature of the virus 193 copies of the administered questionnaire were returned for analysis. It is recommended that media planners and film writers etc should not relent while such approach should be used for other health related matters like cancer, malaria, etc.