Kurdish doctors use social media to educate diaspora on COVID-19
Amad Amedy and Heval Kelli, MD
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, people all over the world are struggling. More than 197,500 people have died worldwide. While healthcare providers continue to risk their lives on the front lines in hospitals, there is another arena of public health education that needs to be addressed. 

There exists an abundance of misinformation and a lack of access to reliable information, especially in immigrant communities, that places many at risk. It is important that we educate ourselves and others in our communities to help prevent risky behavior and further transmission of the virus. 

The COVID-19 crisis forced many people to stay at home and adhere to social distancing guidelines as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While this situation creates a challenge for reaching people through traditional methods for health education, it also inspires the creation and utilization of innovative strategies to provide health education during a crisis. 

In an effort to dispel misinformation and educate our global Kurdish community, the Kurdish American Medical Association (KAMA) has worked diligently to provide useful and reliable information about the virus. In response to the pandemic, the group developed a COVID-19 team to translate public health information to Kurdish communities based on CDC and WHO guidelines. The USA has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world and the experience by Kurdish American doctors and scientists can be valuable to our Kurdish people.

In a recent effort to educate the global Kurdish community, KAMA developed a “Tele-Public Health Education” model to bring updated information on COVID-19 to our global Kurdish community through utilization of social media. The model operates on recruiting Kurdish American experts and scientists on medical panels to educate the general public about COVID-19, while engaging and answering questions from the public. KAMA is strategically partnering with community organizations and media outlets like the Kurdish Project, Arta Radio and Çiyayê Kurmênc to expand the outreach to the global Kurdish community outside of the USA. 

The sessions are streamed online through Facebook, where experts provide an overall update on the status of COVID-19 and engage with a live audience by answering their questions. These live Facebook sessions are spoken in Kurdish and offer viewers an interactive way to have their questions answered immediately by Kurdish doctors and experts. 

Each session will include new guests and specialists to address the spectrum of COVID-19 impact on other health conditions and the population. The purpose of these sessions is solely for education and raising awareness about COVID-19.  We encourage everyone to seek advice from medical professionals as individual cases and symptoms vary. 

With new information discovered daily, this format provides rapid response and complies with social distancing – two of the most crucial components for managing this outbreak. These sessions are able to safely reach an unlimited audience, providing easy access, as well as real-time updates and answers to your most pressing questions. 

In the midst of a pandemic with no vaccine, it is important that we inform ourselves and encourage others to do the same. Education is crucial in preventing the spread of transmission and can subsequently save many lives. 

AM:07:41:25/04/2020

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