admin | May 29, 2023
Join the ESAR RCCE Media Dialog Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. EAT.
On the 5th of May, the WHO declared that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern. It is still considered an established and ongoing health issue, but declarations that the pandemic is over have created confusion about a virus that is still killing people and threatening to adapt and surge in future.
On May 10, WHO declared that the Monkey Pox virus is no longer a public health emergency of international concern.
These announcements have raised hopes that COVID-19 and Mpox are no longer a threat, but as the terminology switches from pandemic to endemic, what does that even mean?
What we know for sure is that these diseases have not gone away, and labeling them as endemic could pose significant risks for dealing with them, crisis or no crisis.
In this Media Dialog, we will hear from experts to look at the impact of these announcements are having in the East and Southern Africa region.
Social Listening Analyst Elsa Maria Karam will show us how the public is understanding, and misunderstanding, the declared end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
WHO epidemiologist Dr. Michel Muteba will explain the differences between pandemic and endemic status as it pertains to COVID-19.
WHO epidemiologist Dr. Felix Olaniy Sanni will explain the downgrading of Mpox and how this change of status affects our approach to dealing with the monkeypox virus.
And finally, Internews Global Health Advisor, Ida Jooste, will provide journalists with tips on how to approach their coverage of these diseases now that the pandemic classification has been dropped and their editors, and the public at large, rush to conclude that the danger is over.
To join us for this Dialog, please register at this ZOOM link: https://internews.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yf1ww97URBiZjE3bmQ9Maw
Note for journalists: Please feel free to submit your questions to any and all of the speakers in advance when registering for this Dialog.
This Media Dialog is brought to you by the Media Taskforce of the Eastern and Southern Africa Inter-Agency working group for Risk Communication and Community Engagement.