The BBC World Service has launched an app-based “lifeline” Ebola information service for people in West Africa.

The service is designed for those using the instant messenger app Whatsapp. The new service is in both English and French and will comprise public health information on Ebola from the BBC, using audio, text message posts and images.

It will also include breaking news alerts related to Ebola. Whatsapp is said to be the most popular chat app in Africa.

Ebola is now the BBC World Service’s biggest health focus since its reporting on HIV/Aids in the 1980s and 1990s, with a variety of TV and radio programmes broadcast to the Ebola-affected region

To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here