When the pandemic reached Chad, health authorities rolled out a raft of response measures, including door-to-door visits by community health educators to relay messages on safety.
Although nearly 700 community health educators have been trained in the country's seven provinces, a major shortcoming of the door-to-door campaigns is limited reach.
Marie Loumaye, a university student who has volunteered as a community health educator, speaks three local languages, French and the Chadian Arabic dialect.
"It is almost impossible to not share a family meal or live communally," says Adam Hassane, a neighbourhood leader and an experienced community health educator.
While worries that a vaccine is yet to be developed may still linger in Mr Ngarba's mind, he expresses reassurance about other aspects of the virus following a visit by a community health educator.
