To stop the spread of COVID-19 and associated stigma in Somalia, communities need the facts | The Storyteller
▻https://storyteller.iom.int/stories/stop-spread-covid-19-and-associated-stigma-somalia-communities-need
The lack of accurate, factual information about public health emergencies presents a very real and present risk for people in Somalia, especially among the estimated 2.6 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the thousands of migrants that transit through the country every year. Health messages broadcasted through media outlets do not reach everyone. Rumours and hearsay spread faster than any virus, putting people’s lives in danger and bringing stigma and shame to those who contract COVID-19.
These are features of the COVID-19 pandemic response which has produced 3,212 positive cases in Somalia and claimed the lives of 93 people since March. While COVID-19 awareness is generally high here, recent findings from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) show that four months after the first confirmed case, there are still many vulnerable populations who have not received this information, particularly those living in displacement sites. Worse still, misconceptions about how the disease spreads remain pervasive across the country. Many young migrants crossing into Somalia, mainly from Ethiopia, told IOM that they were unaware of the COVID-19 pandemic. When surveyed in March, IOM found that only 19 per cent had heard about the disease. This number has increased to 46 per cent since the exercise started.
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