Thread by @amymaxmen

Deeply honored to have won a @AAASKavli Gold Award for my feature @NatureNews

It is a profile of @Tedros & @WHO as they tackled #Ebola in DR Congo. It foreshadowed the COVID crisis in the US.

I’ll explain that here & lessons to learn. (Treat at end!)
go.nature.com/3khm1HT

Lesson 1: Epidemics depend on context. “The outbreak of Ebola is a symptom; the root cause is political instability,” said @Tedros.

Many places are unstable. DRC is very. Since 2017, in Kivu provinces alone, 3860 people have been killed & 5274 abducted. kivusecurity.org

Many governments, including DRC, ignore or fuel conflict & poverty in east DRC. When the president barred eastern cities from voting “due to Ebola” the link between politics& the virus hardened. Next came attacks.

Does politicization of a virus in an election yr sound familiar?

Lesson 2: Mistrust results in avoidance of ‘health authorities'. To gain trust, the wisest Ebola responders used ⭐️conversations⭐️

They tried to see the world from the perspective of the people they wanted to help.

For example: Here’s @SoceFallBirima listening to complaints from angry motorcyclists who have blocked the road in protest.

Here is @AnokoJulienne visiting communities deep in the forest, rightfully suspicious of outsiders. Ebola discoverer @MTamfum frequently speaks at churches

Conversations are hard! They don’t turn a profit for tech companies or branding agencies. But ads & posters aren't enough.

I see many people in parts of Brooklyn not wearing masks in shops. Fines would be cruel w/poverty rising.

Where is outreach, empathy & support in the US?

Thanks @WHO for dedication in DRC & transparency. @Tedros is pushing for universal healthcare. Without it, we won’t detect emerging epidemics quickly. Without it, SO many people die from preventable causes. Without it, communities mistrust ‘health authority.’

PS #BlackinSTEM

Massive thanks to the photographer who traveled w/me & took gorgeous photos @wesselsjohn1 (pictured at a checkpoint waving); my editors at Nature @bmaher @lmorello; and @pulitzercenter, which has consistently supported my need to report on the ground and not at the desk.

Thanks for coming to my Twitter talk. I’ll end the way I ended my trip to DRC, with a trip to see bonobos. Thanks again to @AAASKavli & hurray for my talented colleagues listed here. Check out their work! sjawards.aaas.org/news/2020-aaas…