DHAKA, Mar 8, 2020 (BSS) – The UN Children Fund (UNICEF) today issued a
statement alerting people against misleading information about the possible
preventive steps against the novel disease purporting to be UNICEF messages.
“To members of the public, we ask that you seek accurate information about
how to keep yourself and your family safe from verified sources,” the UNICEF
statement said quoting its deputy executive director Charlotte Petri
Gornitzka.
She referred to UNICEF or World Health Organisation (WHO), government
health officials and trusted healthcare professionals as authentic
authorities on the coronavirus.
The UNICEF official simultaneously urged people to refrain from sharing
information from “untrustworthy or unverified sources” as that could spread
“paranoia, fear, and stigmatization”.
“It can also result in people being left unprotected or more vulnerable to
the virus,” she said.
The statement issued from UNICEF’s New York office said “sound
preparation, based on scientific evidence, is what is needed at this time” as
people all around the world were taking necessary precautions to protect
themselves and their families from coronavirus.
“However, while many people are sharing information about the virus and
how to protect against it, only some of that information is useful or
reliable,” the statement read.
The statement particularly referred to a recent “erroneous online message
circulating in several languages around the world and purporting to be a
UNICEF communication”.
The message, carried by the social media and some mainstream ones,
indicated that, among other things, avoiding ice cream and other cold foods
could help prevent the onset of the disease.
“This is, of course, wholly untrue,” the UNICEF statement said.
It added: “To the creators of such falsehoods, we offer a simple message:
STOP. Sharing inaccurate information and attempting to imbue it with
authority by misappropriating the names of those in a position of trust is
dangerous and wrong.”
The UNICEF, however, acknowledged that it could be difficult in today’s
information-rich society to know exactly “where to go for knowledge about how
to keep yourself and your loved ones safe”.
“But it is critical that we remain as diligent about the accuracy of the
information we share as we are about every other precaution we take to keep
ourselves and our loved ones safe,” the statement said.
It said UNICEF was actively taking steps to provide accurate information
about the virus by working with the World Health Organization, government
authorities and with online partners like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and
TikTok.
The statement said it wants to make sure that accurate information and
advice is available, as well as taking steps to inform the public when
inaccurate information emerges.