{"id":5684,"date":"2026-06-11T11:51:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T11:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/?p=5684"},"modified":"2026-06-11T12:02:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T12:02:03","slug":"against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/pt\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/","title":{"rendered":"Contra a desinforma\u00e7\u00e3o, a resposta foi conjunta: li\u00e7\u00f5es da Zamb\u00e9zia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Quando os rumores e o medo se tornam mais contagiosos do que qualquer doen\u00e7a, as consequ\u00eancias podem ser fatais. Em Abril e Maio de 2026, Mo\u00e7ambique viveu isso em primeira m\u00e3o.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Entre Abril e Maio de 2026, pelo menos 40 pessoas perderam a vida e mais de 70 ficaram feridas em resultado de viol\u00eancia motivada por desinforma\u00e7\u00e3o, rumores e p\u00e2nico colectivo associados ao S\u00edndrome de Koro, um transtorno psicol\u00f3gico caracterizado pelo medo intenso e irracional de que os \u00f3rg\u00e3os genitais est\u00e3o a encolher ou a desaparecer. Os epis\u00f3dios de viol\u00eancia afectaram as prov\u00edncias da Zamb\u00e9zia, Sofala, Manica, Niassa, Nampula e Cabo Delgado, segundo relatos na imprensa nacional e internacional.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>\n

A Zamb\u00e9zia foi das prov\u00edncias mais severamente atingidas. V\u00e1rios colaboradores da C-Sa\u00fade vivenciaram essa viol\u00eancia na primeira pessoa: provedores de sa\u00fade e outros ligados ao sector foram um dos grupos acusados de \"roubar\" ou atrofiar os \u00f3rg\u00e3os genitais de membros das comunidades que servem.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>\n

O resultado foi imediato e concreto: algumas unidades sanit\u00e1rias estiveram fechadas durante semanas, nomeadamente nos distritos de Mocubela, Pebane e Maganja da Costa, comprometendo o acesso a cuidados de sa\u00fade essenciais.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Face \u00e0 urg\u00eancia da situa\u00e7\u00e3o, foi constitu\u00eddo um grupo de trabalho sob orienta\u00e7\u00e3o da Direc\u00e7\u00e3o Provincial de Sa\u00fade da Zamb\u00e9zia, reunindo os Servi\u00e7os Provinciais de Sa\u00fade, o Conselho Provincial de Combate ao HIV e SIDA, a C-Sa\u00fade e l\u00edderes religiosos da prov\u00edncia - representados pelo Conselho Isl\u00e2mico de Mo\u00e7ambique (CISLAMO), o Conselho Crist\u00e3o de Mo\u00e7ambique (CCM) e a Plataforma Inter-Religiosa de Comunica\u00e7\u00e3o para a Sa\u00fade (PIRCOM). Das estrat\u00e9gias conjuntas para combater os rumores e a viol\u00eancia a estes associada resultaram materiais de comunica\u00e7\u00e3o em que diferentes l\u00edderes religiosos assumiram o protagonismo das mensagens.<\/span><\/p>\n

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O S\u00edndrome de Koro \u00e9 um transtorno psicol\u00f3gico reconhecido clinicamente, desencadeado por stress e ansiedade agudos, frequentemente amplificados por boatos, cren\u00e7as culturais e o chamado \u201ccont\u00e1gio social\u201d, o processo pelo qual o medo se propaga entre membros de uma comunidade como se se tratasse de uma infec\u00e7\u00e3o. N\u00e3o h\u00e1 mecanismos fisiol\u00f3gicos que causem o desaparecimento de \u00f3rg\u00e3os genitais: o que as v\u00edtimas sentem \u00e9 real, mas a sua origem \u00e9 mental e \u00e9 trat\u00e1vel.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Este n\u00e3o foi o primeiro surto de desinforma\u00e7\u00e3o com impacto directo na sa\u00fade p\u00fablica em Mo\u00e7ambique, nem sequer no presente ano: no in\u00edcio de 2026, comunidades em Nampula perseguiram e apedrejaram activistas e agentes de sa\u00fade no contexto de um surto de c\u00f3lera, acusando-os de serem causadores da doen\u00e7a. Antes disso, epis\u00f3dios semelhantes marcaram campanhas de vacina\u00e7\u00e3o e de tratamento de diversas doen\u00e7as em v\u00e1rias prov\u00edncias do pa\u00eds.<\/span><\/p>\n

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O padr\u00e3o \u00e9 recorrente: desinforma\u00e7\u00e3o que transforma os pr\u00f3prios agentes de sa\u00fade em alvos, afasta as comunidades dos servi\u00e7os e agrava as crises que se prop\u00f5e resolver. Os exemplos mencionados apontam para a necessidade urgente de estrat\u00e9gias robustas e permanentes de comunica\u00e7\u00e3o em sa\u00fade, gest\u00e3o de desinforma\u00e7\u00e3o e rumores e do envolvimento comunit\u00e1rio, antes que o pr\u00f3ximo rumor se dissemine.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When rumors and fear become more contagious than any disease, the consequences can be fatal. In April and May of 2026, Mozambique experienced this firsthand. Between April and May 2026, at least 40 people lost their lives and more than 70 were injured as a result of violence driven by misinformation, rumors, and collective panic associated with Koro Syndrome, a psychological disorder characterized by an intense and irrational fear that the genitals are shrinking or disappearing. The episodes of violence affected the provinces of Zamb\u00e9zia, Sofala, Manica, Niassa, Nampula, and Cabo Delgado, according to reports in the national and international press. Zamb\u00e9zia was among the most severely affected provinces. Various C-Sa\u00fade staff members experienced this violence firsthand: healthcare providers and others connected to the sector were among the groups accused of \u201cstealing\u201d or atrophying the genitals of community members they serve. The consequences were immediate and tangible: some health facilities remained closed for weeks, particularly in the districts of Mocubela, Pebane, and Maganja da Costa, compromising access to essential healthcare. In response to the urgency of the situation, a working group was established under the guidance of the Zamb\u00e9zia Provincial Health Directorate, bringing together the Provincial Health Services, the Provincial Council for Combating HIV and AIDS, C-Sa\u00fade, and religious leaders from the province, represented by the Islamic Council of Mozambique (CISLAMO), the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM), and the Inter-Religious Platform for Health Communication (PIRCOM). Joint strategies to counter the rumors and the violence associated with them resulted in communication materials in which different religious leaders took center stage as the face and voice of the messages. Koro Syndrome is a clinically recognized psychological disorder, triggered by acute stress and anxiety, frequently amplified by rumors, cultural beliefs, and what is known as \u201csocial contagion\u201d, the process by which fear spreads among community members as though it were an infection. There are no physiological mechanisms that cause genitals to disappear: what victims feel is real, but its origin is psychological and it is treatable. This was not the first misinformation outbreak with a direct impact on public health in Mozambique, nor even the first this year: in early 2026, communities in Nampula pursued and stoned health activists and workers in the context of a cholera outbreak, accusing them of causing the disease. Before that, similar episodes marked vaccination and treatment campaigns for various diseases across several provinces. The pattern is recurring: misinformation that turns healthcare workers themselves into targets, drives communities away from services, and worsens the very crises it claims to explain. The examples cited point to the urgent need for robust, sustained strategies in health communication, misinformation and rumor management, and community engagement \u2014 before the next rumor spreads. \u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[29,30,26,21,31,25,24,27,28],"class_list":["post-5684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-noticias","tag-c-saude","tag-csaude","tag-desinformation","tag-mozambique","tag-public-health","tag-rumors","tag-sindrome-de-koro","tag-social-contagion","tag-zambezia"],"yoast_head":"\nAgainst Misinformation, the Response Was Collective: Lessons from Zamb\u00e9zia - C-Sa\u00fade<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/pt\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"pt_PT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Against Misinformation, the Response Was Collective: Lessons from Zamb\u00e9zia - C-Sa\u00fade\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When rumors and fear become more contagious than any disease, the consequences can be fatal. In April and May of 2026, Mozambique experienced this firsthand. Between April and May 2026, at least 40 people lost their lives and more than 70 were injured as a result of violence driven by misinformation, rumors, and collective panic associated with Koro Syndrome, a psychological disorder characterized by an intense and irrational fear that the genitals are shrinking or disappearing. The episodes of violence affected the provinces of Zamb\u00e9zia, Sofala, Manica, Niassa, Nampula, and Cabo Delgado, according to reports in the national and international press. Zamb\u00e9zia was among the most severely affected provinces. Various C-Sa\u00fade staff members experienced this violence firsthand: healthcare providers and others connected to the sector were among the groups accused of \u201cstealing\u201d or atrophying the genitals of community members they serve. The consequences were immediate and tangible: some health facilities remained closed for weeks, particularly in the districts of Mocubela, Pebane, and Maganja da Costa, compromising access to essential healthcare. In response to the urgency of the situation, a working group was established under the guidance of the Zamb\u00e9zia Provincial Health Directorate, bringing together the Provincial Health Services, the Provincial Council for Combating HIV and AIDS, C-Sa\u00fade, and religious leaders from the province, represented by the Islamic Council of Mozambique (CISLAMO), the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM), and the Inter-Religious Platform for Health Communication (PIRCOM). Joint strategies to counter the rumors and the violence associated with them resulted in communication materials in which different religious leaders took center stage as the face and voice of the messages. Koro Syndrome is a clinically recognized psychological disorder, triggered by acute stress and anxiety, frequently amplified by rumors, cultural beliefs, and what is known as \u201csocial contagion\u201d, the process by which fear spreads among community members as though it were an infection. There are no physiological mechanisms that cause genitals to disappear: what victims feel is real, but its origin is psychological and it is treatable. This was not the first misinformation outbreak with a direct impact on public health in Mozambique, nor even the first this year: in early 2026, communities in Nampula pursued and stoned health activists and workers in the context of a cholera outbreak, accusing them of causing the disease. Before that, similar episodes marked vaccination and treatment campaigns for various diseases across several provinces. The pattern is recurring: misinformation that turns healthcare workers themselves into targets, drives communities away from services, and worsens the very crises it claims to explain. The examples cited point to the urgent need for robust, sustained strategies in health communication, misinformation and rumor management, and community engagement \u2014 before the next rumor spreads. \u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/pt\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"C-Sa\u00fade\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T11:51:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-11T12:02:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Um-boato-pode-tirar-uma-vida_V2.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1587\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2245\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CSAUDE Mozambique\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Escrito por\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CSAUDE Mozambique\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Tempo estimado de leitura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"CSAUDE Mozambique\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/#\/schema\/person\/21f8c5706602baf376339aa34c5d4efa\"},\"headline\":\"Against Misinformation, the Response Was Collective: Lessons from Zamb\u00e9zia\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-11T11:51:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-06-11T12:02:03+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/\"},\"wordCount\":459,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Um-boato-pode-tirar-uma-vida_V2.png\",\"keywords\":[\"c-saude\",\"csaude\",\"desinformation\",\"mozambique\",\"public health\",\"rumors\",\"s\u00edndrome de koro\",\"social contagion\",\"zambezia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Highlights\"],\"inLanguage\":\"pt-PT\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/\",\"name\":\"Against Misinformation, the Response Was Collective: Lessons from Zamb\u00e9zia - 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C-Sa\u00fade","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/pt\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/","og_locale":"pt_PT","og_type":"article","og_title":"Against Misinformation, the Response Was Collective: Lessons from Zamb\u00e9zia - C-Sa\u00fade","og_description":"When rumors and fear become more contagious than any disease, the consequences can be fatal. In April and May of 2026, Mozambique experienced this firsthand. Between April and May 2026, at least 40 people lost their lives and more than 70 were injured as a result of violence driven by misinformation, rumors, and collective panic associated with Koro Syndrome, a psychological disorder characterized by an intense and irrational fear that the genitals are shrinking or disappearing. The episodes of violence affected the provinces of Zamb\u00e9zia, Sofala, Manica, Niassa, Nampula, and Cabo Delgado, according to reports in the national and international press. Zamb\u00e9zia was among the most severely affected provinces. Various C-Sa\u00fade staff members experienced this violence firsthand: healthcare providers and others connected to the sector were among the groups accused of \u201cstealing\u201d or atrophying the genitals of community members they serve. The consequences were immediate and tangible: some health facilities remained closed for weeks, particularly in the districts of Mocubela, Pebane, and Maganja da Costa, compromising access to essential healthcare. In response to the urgency of the situation, a working group was established under the guidance of the Zamb\u00e9zia Provincial Health Directorate, bringing together the Provincial Health Services, the Provincial Council for Combating HIV and AIDS, C-Sa\u00fade, and religious leaders from the province, represented by the Islamic Council of Mozambique (CISLAMO), the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM), and the Inter-Religious Platform for Health Communication (PIRCOM). Joint strategies to counter the rumors and the violence associated with them resulted in communication materials in which different religious leaders took center stage as the face and voice of the messages. Koro Syndrome is a clinically recognized psychological disorder, triggered by acute stress and anxiety, frequently amplified by rumors, cultural beliefs, and what is known as \u201csocial contagion\u201d, the process by which fear spreads among community members as though it were an infection. There are no physiological mechanisms that cause genitals to disappear: what victims feel is real, but its origin is psychological and it is treatable. This was not the first misinformation outbreak with a direct impact on public health in Mozambique, nor even the first this year: in early 2026, communities in Nampula pursued and stoned health activists and workers in the context of a cholera outbreak, accusing them of causing the disease. Before that, similar episodes marked vaccination and treatment campaigns for various diseases across several provinces. The pattern is recurring: misinformation that turns healthcare workers themselves into targets, drives communities away from services, and worsens the very crises it claims to explain. The examples cited point to the urgent need for robust, sustained strategies in health communication, misinformation and rumor management, and community engagement \u2014 before the next rumor spreads. \u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/pt\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/","og_site_name":"C-Sa\u00fade","article_published_time":"2026-06-11T11:51:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-06-11T12:02:03+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1587,"height":2245,"url":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Um-boato-pode-tirar-uma-vida_V2.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"CSAUDE Mozambique","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Escrito por":"CSAUDE Mozambique","Tempo estimado de leitura":"3 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/"},"author":{"name":"CSAUDE Mozambique","@id":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/#\/schema\/person\/21f8c5706602baf376339aa34c5d4efa"},"headline":"Against Misinformation, the Response Was Collective: Lessons from Zamb\u00e9zia","datePublished":"2026-06-11T11:51:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-06-11T12:02:03+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/"},"wordCount":459,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Um-boato-pode-tirar-uma-vida_V2.png","keywords":["c-saude","csaude","desinformation","mozambique","public health","rumors","s\u00edndrome de koro","social contagion","zambezia"],"articleSection":["Highlights"],"inLanguage":"pt-PT","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/","url":"https:\/\/csaude.org.mz\/2026\/06\/11\/against-misinformation-the-response-was-collective-lessons-from-zambezia\/","name":"Against Misinformation, the Response Was Collective: Lessons from Zamb\u00e9zia - 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