WHO steps up drive vs nCoV ‘infodemic’

Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Sun, 09 Feb 2020 09:49:12 +0000

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set up measures to curb the spread of misinformation about the 2019 novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease (nCoV-ARD).

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the importance of knowing the actual facts about the novel coronavirus, saying that people must have “access to accurate information to protect themselves and others.”

“While the virus spreads, misinformation makes the job of our heroic health workers even harder. It is diverting the attention of decision makers and it causes confusion and spreads fear to the general public, said Ghebreyesus in his opening remarks during a media briefing on Saturday which was broadcasted live at the WHO’s official Twitter page.

“At WHO, we’re not just battling the virus; we’re also battling the trolls and conspiracy theorists that push misinformation and undermine the outbreak response,” he added.

Ghebreyesus said that the organization’s risk communications and infodemic management team is tracking the sources of misinformation.

“WHO’s infodemics team is working hand in glove with our communications department to deliver information to a broader public audience. This includes addressing rumors by publishing ‘myth busters’ and Live Q&A interviews with experts–on our website and social media channels and through the media,” he said.

The WHO also tapped different search and social media platforms such as Google, Facebook, Tencent, Baidu, Twitter, TikTok, Weibo, Pinterest, among others to help in spreading the right informat
http://tempo.com.ph/feed/