Baghdad, 19 May 2020: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have experienced varying degrees of fear, concern, anxiety, and stress which required psychological support to enable them cope better with the challenges they are facing.
In Iraq, WHO immediately identified the groups in need of psychological care, with a special focus on women, and addressed their needs through a series of online sessions on psychological first aid and on how to address stigma and discrimination.
In April this year, remote psychological first aid trainings were provided to more than 100 participants from several organizations working in the field of mental health and psychosocial support in different target areas. The trainings introduced the principles of providing psychological care using phones or social media outlets.
Participants were coached to deal with numerous examples of stigma and shame suffered by people who contracted COVID-19. They shared observations of negative behaviors and attitudes seen as directly contributing to negative health outcomes and difficult access to information on the disease in pandemic affected locations.
One of the training participants commented: “My neighbor refused to allow his 68-year-old mother to go to the isolation facility because of stigma. It is hard for a man in Iraq to allow his mother, wife, daughter, or his sister to be taken for quarantine or isolation outside the family house; the community traditions and social norms don’t allow it.”
Other participants spoke about how a COVID-19 positive becomes under severe stress due to isolation from the family, neighbors, relatives, and community.
“Stigma in some areas is cultural or social beliefs around the shame of getting a communicable disease,” another participant from Mosul also commented. “I think a lot of people don’t understand that we all are vulnerable to COVID; so, acquiring the disease can happen to anyone and we need to focus on raising awareness and get well educated on preventive measures, on top of which social distancing and hand hygiene. There is no shame in going to quarantine or stay away from family and friends if I am sick.”
Training participants were also made aware of the important role they play in convincing the populations they serve to report any suspected COVID-19 cases and encouraging them to maintain a proper and healthy lifestyle including breathing, talking, eating, and body hygiene protocols.
“People with COVID-19 have to a certain level been negatively associated with stigma and discrimination worldwide,” said Dr. Adham R. Ismail, WHO Representative in Iraq. “WHO and the Ministry of Health in Iraq jointly confirm that all people regardless of races, social status, or ethnic backgrounds are vulnerable to the disease if no protective measures are properly followed.”
“WHO and health authorities recognize the importance of addressing the health needs of those in need and continue providing specialized services to help them feel calm and able to maintain normal life activities in this difficult time,” concluded Dr. Ismail.
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For further information, please contact:
- Ajyal Sultany, WHO Communications Officer, +964 7740 892 878, sultanya@who.int
- Baraa Shabaa, WHO Communications Officer, shabaab@who.int