Lessons learnt in keeping the public informed during the Sars outbreak in Hong Kong are proving useful as rural communities in Uganda get wired to the internet. Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), a non-governmental organisation, is using the latest developments in information and communications technology (ICT) to prevent the spread of diseases from animals to humans. In the same way that Sars is believed to have jumped the so-called species barrier in southern China, where many people live in close contact with livestock, strains of diseases common in animals are being found in poorer villages in Uganda. Lawrence Zikusoka, co-founder and director of ICT for CTPH, said cases of tuberculosis had been found among people drinking milk from diseased cows. And, with many people living close to national parks, concerns were raised after scabies was detected in the country's mountain gorillas. In order to educate people about potential risks, CTPH is working to set up ICT kiosks in national parks to provide conservation and health information while acting as a channel for the community to access the latest technology. Mr Zikusoka said Uganda could learn from Hong Kong, which used the media to convey information during last year's outbreak of Sars. He pointed to the way public service announcements on TV and radio had been used alongside the internet to educate people about possible risks. Uganda still has a low internet penetration, while mobile phones are more common. CTPH is developing a system to send short messaging service text messages to the mobile phones of rural health-care workers to inform them of new disease outbreaks. Meanwhile, to increase access to the Net, each of CTPH's ICT kiosks will have at least eight terminals and four to five staff who will train local residents in the use of ICT. The ICT kiosks are being set up with the help of Cisco Systems, which, as well as providing technology, is helping to staff the kiosks through the Cisco Networking Academy run by the department of women's studies at Makerere University. Mr Zikusoka was in town last week to attend the ICT global summit, which focused on bridging the digital divide. The digital divide refers to the growing gap between those who have access to ICT and the economic benefits it brings and those who are not wired. Mr Zikusoka said the kiosks addressed the digital divide in two ways: by providing rural communities with access to ICT, and, as the kiosks would be partially staffed by women, helping to reach this often digitally neglected group.