Discrimination, Stigma and COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered social stigma and discriminatory behaviour against persons who have contracted the COVID-19 virus, those who have been in contact with such persons, as well as any person who has been perceived to have come in contact with the virus. As part of an anti-stigma campaign, this Public Service Announcement sung by Chrystal Cummins-Beckles from Barbados, was produced.

Source: Discrimination, Stigma and COVID-19

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    PAHO launches campaign to raise awareness of COVID-19 mental health toll on frontline health workers

    The campaign Mental Health Now – Tell Your Story, will collect written and video stories from healthcare workers in the Americas through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, which will be compiled and disseminated through PAHO’s website and social media channels until the end of the year. The story selection will be based on specific criteria, aiming to portray the breadth of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and display the diversity of the Americas.

    Source: PAHO launches campaign to raise awareness of COVID-19 mental health toll on frontline health workers

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      Communicating about Vaccine Safety: Guidelines to help health workers communicate with parents, caregivers, and patients

      Vaccines save between 2 million and 3 million lives each year and protect the entire population from more than a dozen life-threatening diseases. Thanks to vaccination, smallpox was eradicated in 1980, and we are on track to eradicate polio. However, despite great strides in the control of measles, one of the most contagious diseases known, the last few years have unfortunately seen an increase in cases. This is why high vaccination coverage—95% or more—is needed, posing a major technical and communication challenge for health workers. Studies show that telling people about the quality, safety, effectiveness and availability of vaccines is not enough to influence behavior change related to immunization, and in general, doesn´t increase coverage. For this reason, it´s necessary to understand the reasons why people choose not to get vaccinated or not get their children vaccinated, in order to begin a two-way respectful dialogue using the best, most effective messages. Given this context, the main objective of these guidelines is to provide tools for staff working in the field of immunization to support effective communication between health personnel and the general population, with the aim of strengthening, maintaining or recovering trust in vaccines and the immunization programs in the Region of the Americas.

      Source: Communicating about Vaccine Safety: Guidelines to help health workers communicate with parents, caregivers, and patients

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        Guide for the Preparation of a Risk Communication Strategy for COVID-19 Vaccines: A Resource for the Countries of the Americas

        This document was created to facilitate the preparation of a risk communication and community engagement strategy for vaccination against COVID-19.

        Its goal is to help to strengthen the communication and planning capacities of the ministries or secretariats of health and other agencies in charge of communicating about new COVID-19 vaccines in the Americas.

        It also includes a matrix for the preparation of a risk communication strategy for COVID-19 vaccines.

        Source: Guide for the Preparation of a Risk Communication Strategy for COVID-19 Vaccines: A Resource for the Countries of the Americas

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          Measures to Ensure the Continuity of the Response to Malaria in the Americas during the COVID-19 Pandemic

          The PAHO Regional Malaria Program is aware of the imminent negative impact that the present COVID-19 pandemic is causing in the countries and their health systems, and consequently, in the fight against malaria in the countries of the Americas; considers that it is essential to guide national authorities; and draws attention to the main measures to be taken to maintain the continuity of actions against malaria, while protecting the health of healthcare workers and in line with national provisions for response to COVID-19. Malaria-specific guidance on the response to COVID-19 has been developed by WHO1 and is the main reference for this document.

          This material is subject to updates by WHO and PAHO on malaria and on the COVID-19 response.

          Source: Measures to Ensure the Continuity of the Response to Malaria in the Americas during the COVID-19 Pandemic

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