Enhancing Health Communication through Digitalization: The Case of the Multilingual Landscape of Cameroon

Abstract

This study explores the utilization of digital platforms for disseminating health-related information in Cameroon's indigenous languages. Despite the country's high illiteracy rate in official languages, efforts to sensitize the population on disease prevention, diagnosis, and management often rely on French or English mediums. Focusing on COVID-19 response information, the research examines the translation and digitalization of health content by non-governmental organizations (KPAAM-CAM, CABTAL, and SIL) in various indigenous languages. An interview was carried out with ten (10) linguists from The University of Bamenda to assess the level of awareness of these digital platforms. It was also Guided by Paul Freire's participatory model of communication, a qualitative content analysis of digital platforms reveals a limited scope of sensitization, with only COVID-19 information being translated and disseminated. The study recommends translating and digitalizing campaign contents on prevalent diseases like malaria, typhoid fever, and HIV/AIDS to ensure equitable access to healthcare information for all Cameroonians, regardless of their language proficiency.