scholarly journals How Loud and Clear Rung the Alarm Bell: The Communication Efforts of WHO on the Beginning of COVID-19 Outbreak

2021 ◽  
pp. 002073142110249
Author(s):  
Huriye Toker
Keyword(s):  
Risk Communication ◽  
International Development ◽  
International Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
News Releases ◽  
The Media ◽  
Credible Information ◽  
Health Organization

As seen clearly from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health is an important foreign policy and diplomatic issue connected with security, economic well-being, and international development. According to risk communication researchers, effective, transparent, and timely information sharing is the most important tool after vaccines for responding to pandemics. This study aims to start a scholarly discussion on the risk communication efforts of the World Health Organization (WHO) during the COVID-19 outbreak. We analyzed WHO’s communication efforts during the first 3 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the leading international health organization, WHO was responsible for providing rapid, up-to-date, and credible information for the public and the media. The selected research items were 42 news releases and statements provided by WHO between December 31, 2019, and March 30, 2020. These were subjected to qualitative and quantitative content analyses using the NVivo 12 qualitative analysis software program for coding. The data were coded under 6 variables (date of publication, topics, frequency, wording of the COVID-19 outbreak, sourcing, and themes of the releases). While 54.7% of WHO's communications were devoted to the COVID-19 outbreak, more than half were not issued until March. That is, instead of early risk communication and clear warnings about the outbreak, WHO acted overcautiously, preferring messages related to solidarity and cooperation during the most devastating pandemic of the 21st century.

Triage Management, Survival, and the Law in the Age of Ebola

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederick M Burkle ◽  
Christopher M Burkle
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
International Health ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Population Based ◽  
World Health ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
Budget Cuts ◽  
The Public ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractLiberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea lack the public health infrastructure, economic stability, and overall governance to stem the spread of Ebola. Even with robust outside assistance, the epidemiological data have not improved. Vital resource management is haphazard and left to the discretion of individual Ebola treatment units. Only recently has the International Health Regulations (IHR) and World Health Organization (WHO) declared Ebola a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, making this crisis their fifth ongoing level 3 emergency. In particular, the WHO has been severely compromised by post-2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) staffing, budget cuts, a weakened IHR treaty, and no unambiguous legal mandate. Population-based triage management under a central authority is indicated to control the transmission and ensure fair and decisive resource allocation across all triage categories. The shared responsibilities critical to global health solutions must be realized and the rightful attention, sustained resources, and properly placed legal authority be assured within the WHO, the IHR, and the vulnerable nations. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;0:1-6)

scholarly journals Deafening silence on a vital issue: The World Health Organization has ignored the sexuality of persons with disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Peta
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
The Public ◽  
National Priority ◽  
Social Welfare System ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

In 2016, the World Health Organization, through the Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology Initiative, issued the Priority Assistive Products List which is meant to be a guide to member states of the 50 assistive products needed for a basic health care and/or social welfare system; it is also a model from which nations can develop their national priority assistive products lists. The aim of this opinion paper is to share my views about the Priority Assistive Products List on the grounds that it makes no distinct mention of sexual assistive devices, yet research has indicated that sexuality is an area of great concern for persons with disabilities. In any case, sexuality forms a core part of being human, and it impacts on both the physical and mental well-being of all human beings. I conclude in part that, in its present format, the list perpetuates the myth that persons with disabilities are asexual beings who are innocent of sexual thoughts, feelings and experiences. The list also propagates the stereotype that sexuality is a sacred, private, bedroom matter that should be kept out of the public domain, to the detriment of the health and well-being of persons with disabilities.

scholarly journals Pandemic Influenza Preparedness in Africa

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Evanson Z. Sambala ◽  
Tiwonge Kanyenda ◽  
Chinwe Juliana Iwu ◽  
Chidozie Declan Iwu ◽  
Anelisa Jaca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Communication ◽  
International Health ◽  
Ethical Consideration ◽  
World Health ◽  
African Region ◽  
Member States ◽  
Case Investigation ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health Regulations

Background: Prior to the 2009 pandemic H1N1, and the unprecedented outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) caused by the H5N1 virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) called upon its Member States to develop preparedness plans in response to a new pandemic in humans. The WHO Member States responded to this call by developing national pandemic plans in accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR) to strengthen the capabilities of Member States to respond to different pandemic scenarios. In this study, we aim to evaluate the quality of the preparedness plans in the WHO African region since their inception in 2005. Methods: A standard checklist with 61 binary indicators (“yes” or “no”) was used to assess the quality of the preparedness plans. The checklist was categorised across seven thematic areas of preparedness: preparation (16 indicators); coordination and partnership (5 indicators); risk communication (8 indicators); surveillance and monitoring (7 indicators); prevention and containment (10 indicators); case investigation and treatment (10 indicators) and ethical consideration (5 indicators). Four assessors independently scored the plans against the checklist. Results: Of the 47 countries in the WHO African region, a total of 35 national pandemic plans were evaluated. The composite score for the completeness of the pandemic plans across the 35 countries was 36%. Country-specific scores on each of the thematic indicators for pandemic plan completeness varied, ranging from 5% in Côte d'Ivoire to 79% in South Africa. On average, preparation and risk communication scored 48%, respectively, while coordination and partnership scored the highest with an aggregate score of 49%. Surveillance and monitoring scored 34%, while prevention and containment scored 35%. Case investigation and treatment scored 25%, and ethical consideration scored the lowest of 14% across 35 countries. Overall, our assessment shows that pandemic preparedness plans across the WHO African region are inadequate. Conclusions: Moving forward, these plans must address the gaps identified in this study and demonstrate clarity in their goals that are achievable through drills, simulations and tabletop exercises.

scholarly journals Sosialisasi bahaya dan upaya pencegahan infeksi corona virus disease (COVID-19) di Kelurahan Koja, Jakarta Utara

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-40
Author(s):  
Khariri Khariri
Keyword(s):  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
International Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Wuhan City ◽  
The Public ◽  
Corona Virus ◽  
District Government ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Almost All

Corona virus Disease (COVID-19) began with a report on December 31, 2019, in Wuhan City of China about pneumonia cluster cases that have not yet been identified. The number of COVID-19 cases has increased and has spread to almost all. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that COVID-19 is an international health problem and established as a pandemic. COVID-19 case in Indonesia was first reported on March 2, 2020, and spread in 34 provinces in Indonesia. Treatment and vaccination for the prevention of COVID-19 are still in the process of research. So far preventive measures such as maintaining distance, wearing masks, improving the immune system, and hand hygiene are expected to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19. The COVID-19 socialization aims to provide adequate information to the public about the dangers and efforts to prevent COVID-19 that can be carried out by individuals and the community. The socialization was held in Koja Village, North Jakarta on March 8, 2020. The activity was carried out by the Regional Management of Keluarga Alumni Universitas Gadjah Mada (KAGAMA) DKI Jakarta in collaboration with the Health Sub-Department and the Koja District Government, North Jakarta. The main part of the activity is the delivery of COVID-19 material followed by interactive discussions between participants and resource persons. Individual and community prevention efforts are very important in reducing the number of cases and breaking the chain of transmission so that cases do not increase.

scholarly journals User acquisition and profile of COVID-19’s health education website: a descriptive study

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Avinindita Nura Lestari ◽  
Tiara Putri Leksono ◽  
Reyfal Khaidar ◽  
Ekky Novriza Alam ◽  
Lutfan Lazuardi
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Antiviral Treatment ◽  
World Health ◽  
Public Service Announcement ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Media ◽  
Credible Information ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
False News

In early of 2020, China had identified a new etiology of pneumonia which was later called Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the condition declared as pandemic. In this emergency state of affair, people will seek information from websites disseminating health information online, including Indonesia. Since there is currently no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment, the application of preventive measures has been essential. The hygiene and health measures can be easily spread widely as there’s been fast & numerous information spreading in the media, but that is not usually the case with underprivileged people with little access to technology. False news and lack of credible sources are also a threat. A health startup in Bandung, Indonesia, made initiatives to educate people about COVID-19 prevention through downloadable script and audio in the form of Public Service Announcement provided with 19 local languages through their website.  This study aims to know the characteristics of profile users accessing the website through descriptive observational approach. The data came from the website automatically analysed by Google Analytics. We look into the audience data, comprising demographics and geographical distribution. Additionally, we observe the acquisition data that helps us in seeing website traffic. The significant difference found in this study is seen in the age group, meanwhile the gender group did not have a significant difference, which has 8% of disparity. By geographical distribution, 60% of top users are located in cities located in Java Island. Direct traffic, interestingly, made up almost 86 percent of all traffic. Twitter ranked the top for the social media traffic in our case. In conclusion, it is necessary to promote credible information in COVID-19 preventive measures and help maintain the accessibility of information.

Not merely the absence of disease: A genealogy of the WHO’s positive health definition

2021 ◽  
pp. 095269512199535
Author(s):  
Lars Thorup Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
International Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
International Consensus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Medical Historian ◽  
Direct Outcome ◽  
Ideological Resistance

The 1948 constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. It was a bold and revolutionary health idea to gain international consensus in a period characterized by fervent anti-communism. This article explores the genealogy of the health definition and demonstrates how it was possible to expand the scope of health, redefine it as ‘well-being’, and overcome ideological resistance to progressive and international health approaches. The first part of the article demonstrates how the health definition was composed through a trajectory of draft ideas from scholars in the history of medicine, as well as political actors working to promote national health insurance. The definition was authored by League of Nations veteran Raymond Gautier, but secretly drew heavily on medical historian Henry E. Sigerist’s controversial book Socialized Medicine in the Soviet Union (1937). The second part analyses how it was possible to resist the ideological pushback against the WHO and secure US ratification. The WHO’s progressive constitution was not simply a deviation from dominant health ideas, but a direct outcome of the entrenched health conflict. The genealogy is based on original archival material from international organizations and US government archives. The article contributes to understandings of the political controversies surrounding the WHO and to scholarship on understandings of health. It also illustrates how influential health ideas cross the boundaries between politics and health sciences, as well as the boundaries between domestic health policy and global health.

World Health Organization

1947 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-136 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
New World ◽  
International Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
World Health ◽  
Hunter College ◽  
Social Council ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health And Well Being

Designed as a collective instrument to raise the standards of health and well-being of all peoples throughout the world, a new World Health Organization was launched, under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, by the International Health Conference, which met at Hunter College, June 19 to July 22, 1946.

scholarly journals Risk communication during COVID-19: A descriptive study on familiarity with, adherence to and trust in the WHO preventive measures

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0250872
Author(s):  
Nirosha Elsem Varghese ◽  
Iryna Sabat ◽  
Sebastian Neumann-Böhme ◽  
Jonas Schreyögg ◽  
Tom Stargardt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Country Level ◽  
Hygiene Measures ◽  
Health Organization

Background Risk communication is a key component of public health interventions during an outbreak. As the coronavirus pandemic unfolded in late 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) was at the forefront in the development of risk communication strategies. The WHO introduced a range of activities with the purpose of enabling the public to avail verified and timely information on COVID-19 prevention behaviors. Given the various WHO activities to protect the public health during COVID-19, it is important to investigate the extent of familiarity and uptake of the WHO recommendations among the public during the first wave of the pandemic. Methods To do this, we conducted a large-scale Pan-European survey covering around 7500 individuals that are representative of populations from seven European countries, collected online during April 2-April 15, 2020. We use descriptive statistics including proportions and correlations and graphical representations such as bar charts to analyze and display the data. Results Our findings suggest that information from the WHO in the context of COVID-19 is well trusted and acted upon by the public. Overall familiarity and adherence were quite high in most countries. Adherence was higher for social distancing recommendations compared to hygiene measures. Familiarity and adherence were higher among older, female, and highly educated respondents. However, country level heterogeneities were observed in the level of trust in information from the WHO, with countries severely affected by the pandemic reporting lower levels of trust. Conclusion Our findings call for efforts from health authorities to get regular feedback from the public on their familiarity and compliance with recommendations for preventive measures at all stages of the pandemic, to further develop and adapt risk communication as the pandemic evolves.

The Challenges of the COVID-19 Infodemic

2022 ◽  
pp. 31-51
Author(s):  
Aleksandra E. Mirek-Rogowska ◽  
Krzysztof Gajdka
Keyword(s):  
World Health Organization ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
World Health ◽  
False Information ◽  
The Public ◽  
The World ◽  
The Media ◽  
Health Organization

The COVID-19 pandemic brings challenges not only to health systems and governments around the world, but also to the media. One of them is to provide the public with information about the virus, healthcare. However, if there is not enough knowledge regarding the virus it might be a good base for false information flowing all over the media. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the COVID-19 pandemic should be called ‘infodemic', which is as dangerous as the virus pandemic. In order to prevent the dangerous consequences of false information, wide collaboration between different groups of experts, authorities, media, and media users is required, as well as very good media and information management.

Development and Application of Mini App "Travel Health Guide" (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weisi Liu
Keyword(s):  
Disease Control ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
World Health Organization ◽  
National Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
People’S Republic Of China ◽  
People's Republic Of China ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Organization

BACKGROUND It can be seen that the occurrence of disease in the destination is closely related to the health of travelers. The public urgently needs a localized disease status retrieval tool. Mini App is an application that can be used without downloading and installing. Users can scan or search from WeChat to open the application. It’s the most popular way for Chinese people to use it. OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore the feasibility of establishing disease risk communication platform system in the era of artificial intelligence and big data, to provide suggestions for disease control workers and the public to establish an information-based data platform for efficient communication, and to provide practical and scientific basis for the implementation of accurate communication strategy of risk communication. METHODS The data of authoritative portal websites and authoritative websites in related fields were collected and integrated into a practical destination disease information platform suitable for the public. The data source includes World Health Organization, National Health Commission of the people's Republic of China, China Center for Disease Control and prevention, CDC of the United States, ECDC of Europe, portal of Hong Kong Health Protection Center, etc. RESULTS A total of 946 pieces of information were collected from the National Health Commission of the people's Republic of China (300), CDC (370), World Health Organization (170), Covid-19 guidelines (79) and Canada tourism network-- travel.gc.ca （27）. The number of searches was 1134. CONCLUSIONS This small program conforms to the current new media data age, people's habits, directly facing the public, let the public understand the disease situation of the tourism destination, and obtain authoritative prevention and control guidelines; it provides information and convenience for the public, and has a good practical application prospect.

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