[A socio-anthropological survey to support communication on Covid-19 in West Africa]

The population's adherence to preventive measures is crucial for the success of the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic, whether it is a question of respecting barrier gestures or vaccination. We conducted a socio-anthropological survey in five countries of the Economic Community of West African States (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, and Sierra Leone) on the representations of Covid-19 that may influence this adherence. Our results showed that raising the awareness of barrier gestures was extremely well-received by the population and is perfectly understood, but that a substantial part of the population denies the presence of Covid-19 in their country, that the transmission of SARS-CoV2 by asymptomatic persons is mostly ignored, that the risk factors of severe forms of the disease are insufficiently known and that a majority of the respondents fear contracting Covid-19 when visiting a health center. The "infodemia" circulating on social networks does not seem to contribute to the various misconceptions we have highlighted, which are the product of the interviewees' observations and interpretation. We propose a reorientation of communication about Covid-19 based on the results of our survey.