Iraq News Now

Erbil, Iraq on 8 November 2020: The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the

Ministry of Health of Kurdistan Region of Iraq launched a COVID 19 prevention and awarenessraising campaign to halt the recent surge in numbers of COVID-19 cases in the Region

governorates of Erbil and Duhok.

The campaign, the 5th in Iraq, targets a community of approximately 4 million people in the two

mentioned governorates with prevention and infection control messages stressing the

importance of mask-wearing, proper hand hygiene, and physical distancing among individuals in

all settings.

“The community has to be aware of its responsibility and capability to contain the spread of the

virus and control the level of infection in their towns and cities to protect their families and loved

ones,” said Dr. Adham Ismail WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Iraq.

“WHO and local health authorities are now more concerned than before as the recent resurgence

of the virus worldwide requires quick actions towards raising the community awareness and

educating them to change certain behavioral practices that negatively impact their health and

expose them to infection” Dr. Ismail added.

The campaign will start its one-week activities in Erbil Governorate and proceed to Duhok

afterward for another week of activities. Over 20 carefully selected sites s including refugees and

internally displaced population camps in both governorates will also be covered.

Moreover, more than 150 volunteers were trained and mobilized to deliver a package of supplies

containing masks, educational items like flyers, banners, posters, and other visuals of a wide

variety of preventive messages on home and hospital care measures, MythBusters, and many

others.

Mobile booths at public places entrances, mobile medical clinics touring markets and heavily

populated areas, in addition to movable screens showing WHO educational videos have also been

utilized to ensure reaching all target populations in pre-identified areas.

The World Health Organization in Iraq would like to extend its gratitude to donors' contributions

which supported the organization to implement a broad scale of awareness activities in almost

all Iraqi governorates. This 5th COVID 19 prevention and awareness-raising campaign has been

implemented with support from the People and Government of Germany.

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For more information, pls contact:

- Ajyal Sultany, WHO Communications Officer, sultanya@who.int, +964 7740 892 878
- Mohamed Lashkri, WHO Communication Officer, lashkrim@who.int; +964 7740 892 797
- Pauline Ajello, WHO Communications Officer, ajellopa@who.int, +964 7729 877 288

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