READY posts updates here—news, announcements, and other updates on the initiative.

EPI-WIN: Information Network for Epidemics (WHO)

EPI-WIN: “A key component of epidemic and pandemic preparedness is ensuring systems are in place for real-time information to flow from a trusted source to the people at risk.”

The World Health Organization’s “EPI-WIN” (WHO Information Network for Epidemics)  system puts reliable information at the world’s fingertips, fighting myth and misinformation that can contribute to panic and put lives in danger. The network covers common myths; information for health workers; effects on travel and tourism; and tailored advice for the general public, businesses and employers, and WHO member states.

 

Save the Children health worker Ahishakiye delivers COVID-19 prevention messages to families waiting outside a clinic. Image credit: Thacien Biziyaremye / Save the Children

RCCE: Perceptions, Misinformation, and Concerns in African Countries in the Time of COVID-19

Speakers: Kathryn Bertram, READY / Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs; Sharath Srinivasan, Africa’s Voices Foundation; Sharon Reader, IFRC Africa Regional Office || Theme: Understanding the concerns, perceptions, and misinformation barriers to practicing preventative behaviors in Sub-Saharan African countries, and what is being done to address them.

This Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE)-focused webinar took place on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. For more up-to-date RCCE resources, please visit READY’s RCCE Toolkit or the COVID-19 Micro-Trainings RCCE Module.

Webinar Summary

Recent reports and provisional modeling by UN agencies and the WHO estimate that the number of cases and lives lost in Africa due to COVID-19 could surge within 3-6 months. Urban populations are of particular concern since the majority live in overcrowded neighborhoods, while unreliable access to hand-washing facilities and widespread rumors and misinformation are challenges in both rural and urban settings. In this webinar, Sharon Reader, Senior Advisor for Community Engagement and Accountability, IFRC Africa Regional Office, and Sharath Srinivasan, co-founder and Senior Advisor, Africa’s Voices Foundation, discussed the work they are doing to understand the concerns, perceptions, and misinformation barriers to practicing preventative behaviors in Sub-Saharan African countries, and what is being done to address them.

Moderator: Kathryn Bertram, Social Behavior Change Advisor, READY; Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Expert Speakers:

  • Sharath Srinivasan, Co-founder and Senior Advisor, Africa’s Voices Foundation
  • Sharon Reader, Community Engagement and Accountability, IFRC Africa Regional Office