As worry aboutthe new coronavirus spreads, what people need most is information and not fear, according to international aid organizations.
“Not panicking is the first rule of thumb, says Jesse Hartness, director of Global Health in Emergencies for Save the Children. The nonprofit’s information campaign aims to create global awareness about the simple ways individuals can help slow the spread of coronavirus.
“Understanding social distancing and making sure you’re practicing proper hygiene, like washing your hands or preparing your food well — those are all the most basic things to do and the most effective,” Hartness says.
And through monetary donations, the group is organizing global workshops that focus on major epidemic outbreaks and how to fight them.
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Beyond the dissemination of information, Hartness says the delivery of health services is also key. With volunteers on the ground, his group and others will supply medical professionals with basic supplies like gloves and masks.
“Health services are the first ones that are affected,” Hartness says. “Making sure that doctors, nurses, anyone that’s doing triage — just making sure they have proper gloves, masks and proper personal protective equipment is often challenging in a resource environment, so that’s one of the first things we do in a large outbreak like this.”
Many American individuals are also shipping items like face masks overseas, while larger foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation announced it willdonate up to $100 millionto improve detection, protection and medical treatment efforts.
Hartness reiterates that information efforts can eliminate that fear.
“Soap is cheap and available in most communities, so making sure people wash their hands and prepare food in a proper way are really simple and easy to do. It’s making sure people know that’s effective in slowing this outbreak,” he says. “It doesn’t take a lot of additional resources to do that, but that information needs to be out there and people need to be supported to do that.”
source: people.com
