IRBIL: The World Health Organization in cooperation with the Ministry of Health in Iraq's Kurdistan launched a nine-day awareness campaign, financed by Kuwait, against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Al-Sulaimaniyah Governorate, targeting 800,000 people.
Al-Sulaimaniyah witnessed a hike in COVID-19 cases since the early stages of the disease due to many factors, especially its adjacent long boarders with Iran, WHO said in a statement .In this campaign, more than 250 volunteers are taking part to serve more than 800,000 people in 10 areas, including the displaced Iraqis and refugees' camps in the areas of Arbat and Kalar.
Kurdistan district was dramatically affected by COVID-19 because it added to the burden of hosting more than 700,000 displaced Iraqis, and more than 220,000 Syrian refugees, WHO affirmed. "WHO and Iraqi health authorities, especially in the district of Kurdistan are closely monitoring the spread of the pandemic in Iraq," WHO Representative, and Head of WHO mission in Iraq Adham Ismail said.
Since February, WHO has been working hard in support of the Iraqi's Ministry of Health, and Kurdistan's regional Ministry of Health with urgent medical equipment and supplies, along with carrying out awareness campaigns in many parts of the country to curb spread of this disease, and not allowing it to reach camps of displaced people and refugees.
This campaign includes many activities like spreading messages through Kurdish radio stations, using mobile screens to display educational video clips of WHO, as well as cartoons highlighting importance of wearing face masks, washing hands, and maintain social distancing.
The campaign also included settling up booths by the entrances of local markets, public places, and crowded streets distributing flyers and booklets with useful information on COVID-19, as well as bags with three masks and a T-shirt. According to statistics of the Ministry of Health in Kurdistan as of yesterday, the total COVID-19 confirmed infections since the outbreak of the pandemic reached 24,794, including 14,885 recovered cases, with 903 deaths. - KUNA