April 17, 2020, Kathmandu
Have questions about COVID-19? The World Health Organization (WHO) will now answer any you have about Coronavirus. The WHO has launched a Facebook Messenger version of its WHO Health Alert platform – offering instant and accurate information about COVID-19– via Facebook’s global reach.
The World Health Organization’s Health Alert service on WhatsApp was able to reach +12 million people all over the world.
“Now, through Messenger, WHO will be able to expand their reach as they continue to provide people everywhere with important information. This is critical as widespread misinformation can create unnecessary fear and panic in this already trying time,” said the Vice President of Messenger, Stan Chudnovsky.
Messenger’s reach to 1.3 billion monthly active users will aid WHO’s effort to inform the world about COVID-19 better. This will help people protect themselves from COVID-19, prevent its spread, and understand the facts related to the disease.
One can access the WHO’s Health Alert interactive service through the WHO’s official Facebook page by selecting “Send Message” or through the dedicated Messenger link. It is now available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic.
The chatbot was developed in collaboration with Sprinklr, as a part of the WHO Technology for COVID-19 Initiative. It is a pro-bono collaboration of technology companies brought together by WHO specifically to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
In many regions hit hardest by COVID-19, total messaging through Facebook’s family of apps has increased by more than 50%. With this transition into Facebook Messenger, and other communication channels related to it, WHO Health Alert has the potential to reach 4.2 billion people.
